The Hundred Guilder Print

The Hundred Guilder Print by Rembrandt van Rijn is widely regarded as the artist's most celebrated and complex achievement in printmaking, created over a period extending from approximately 1644 to 1654. This profound work exemplifies the technical mastery of the 17th-century Netherlands, utilizing a demanding combination of etching, drypoint, and engraving to produce an unparalleled range of tonal depth and texture. Rijn’s innovative approach to the graphic arts solidified his reputation as the preeminent printmaker of the Dutch Golden Age.

The subject is formally known as Christ Preaching and depicts Jesus surrounded by a multitude of figures gathered near a large archway. Rijn meticulously details the various groups: the humble and the sick seeking healing, children, and challenging figures like the Pharisees. The composition is famous for its dramatic lighting; Rijn’s use of deep shadow and strategically placed light effectively illuminates Christ and the supplicants in the foreground. The technique of drypoint, characterized by burrs left alongside the etched lines, yields the rich, velvety blacks seen in the deepest shadows, lending the scene its profound atmosphere and psychological depth.

The work’s popular title, The Hundred Guilder Print, stems from an unsubstantiated but persistent legend that Rijn once traded or sold an impression of the piece for an extraordinary price of one hundred Dutch guilders, underscoring its historical importance and high value even among his contemporaries. As a pivotal example of Rijn’s religious prints, the work has been studied extensively by artists and collectors for centuries. While original impressions remain exceptionally rare, the imagery has entered the public domain, allowing wide access to Rijn’s narrative detail. This specific, high-quality impression resides in the permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.