Nathan Admonishing David

Nathan Admonishing David by Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn), dating to the period 1650-1655, exemplifies the artist's mature draftsmanship. This powerful drawing, executed in pen and brown ink, is characteristic of Rembrandt’s late-period interest in expressive line and shadow. The dramatic contrast is achieved through the use of white gouache, applied sparingly to heighten the figures against the dark ink, a common technique for studies in the Dutch Golden Age.

The subject depicts the crucial moment when the prophet Nathan confronts King David concerning his sin involving Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite. Rembrandt focuses intensely on the psychological tension between the two men, capturing David’s deep shame and Nathan’s solemn authority. The artist rarely depicted scenes of such direct confrontation in his paintings, making drawings like this essential for understanding his narrative approach. This compelling study of Men in a defining Biblical moment is a prime example of Rembrandt’s profound psychological insight into the figures he drew.

Created during the latter half of the seventeenth century, this piece demonstrates Rembrandt’s ability to imbue traditional religious subjects with profound human emotion. As one of the most significant works of its classification, the piece currently resides in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Given the age and importance of the work, high-quality prints and reproductions of this drawing are now often available through institutional public domain initiatives, allowing broader scholarly and public access to Rembrandt’s mastery of the pen.