Elsje Christiaens Hanging on a Gibbet is a powerful drawing created by Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) in 1664. This intense study of human tragedy was executed using pen and brown ink combined with a brush and grayish brown wash, applied to heavy brownish paper. The classification as a drawing emphasizes the immediacy and observational quality often seen in Rembrandt's studies from this period.
The subject documents the grim reality of capital punishment in 17th-century Amsterdam. The drawing depicts the body of Elsje Christiaens, a young Danish woman who was publicly displayed on the gibbet near the Volewijk ferry slip after her execution for the murder of her landlady. Rather than focusing on the moment of death, Rembrandt captures the somber aftermath, presenting the hanged woman as a visible deterrent against crime, a common practice for serious offenses involving women in this era.
Rembrandt utilized the wash technique skillfully to create a stark atmosphere and sense of depth, suggesting the desolate setting surrounding the execution site. The composition’s powerful simplicity highlights the vulnerable figure against the backdrop, functioning as a chilling piece of documentary art. This historically significant work, one of the most famous executions captured by the Dutch Master, resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Because this drawing is now centuries old, high-quality prints and digital reproductions are often available in the public domain, allowing global access to this profound study.
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