Studies for the Sick Woman in the ‘Hundred Guilder Print’

Studies for the Sick Woman in the ‘Hundred Guilder Print’ by Rembrandt van Rijn is a critical preparatory drawing executed around 1648. This drawing, classified as a study for the definitive etching, was created using ink and deck paint on paper, demonstrating the artist's intense focus on composition and chiaroscuro before committing the scene to the etching plate. The piece captures the figure of the sick woman, a key supplicant in the larger narrative print often known as Christ Healing the Sick, which remains one of Rijn’s most ambitious and celebrated works on paper from the period.

During the mid-17th century in the Netherlands, Rijn was perfecting his command of graphic arts. This study highlights the meticulous process he employed, utilizing the deck paint (an opaque white pigment) to quickly establish highlights and volume, a technique that would translate directly into the dramatic lighting effects seen in his final prints. The drawing is not merely a sketch but a detailed exploration of posture and expression, ensuring the emotional weight of the sick woman resonated strongly within the crowded scene of the finished etching.

Rijn often produced multiple studies for his major works, making this drawing an invaluable record of his artistic development and his technical mastery of preliminary draftsmanship. The meticulous rendering underscores why his work, central to Dutch Golden Age art, remains so influential. Today, high-resolution images of Rijn’s original drawings and studies related to monumental prints such as this are frequently made available through public domain collections for research and educational appreciation. This significant work is held in the renowned collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.