Landscape with cottage and haybarn
1641

REMBRANDT Harmensz. van Rijn

Medium: etching with touches of drypoint 
Measurements: 13.3 × 32.3 cm (image, plate and sheet) 
Catalogue/s Raisonné: Bartsch 225; Hind 177; White & Boon 225; NHD 199
Edition: only state
Inscription: printed in ink l.r.: Rembrandt f / 1641
Accession Number: 2020.472
Departments: International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
Credit Line: National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Collection of James O Fairfax AC. Presented by Bridgestar Pty Ltd through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program, 2020
Gallery location: Not on display

Watermarks


Watermark Form: Basilisk
: The Basilisk is a mythical beast that can be described as a giant reptilian, with the form of a lizard or snake, sometimes mixed with bird-like features such as a rooster's beak, eagle-like claws, and scaly wings. The beast is also referred to as a cockatrice. The Basilisk became a symbol of the city of Basel in Switzerland, and is the mark of a Swiss paper. The Crozier is another symbol of Basel, referencing the crook of the Bishop of Basel's staff, seen here below the Basilisk's beak. The Basel Crozier symbol appears on coins of the 11th and 12th centuries in Switzerland. Early seals of the city show symbols of a house or gate and in this watermark the Basilisk perches a claw on top of the roof of a small house below. The general watermark design has been attributed to the Heusler papermaking family in Basel.
Watermark and variant description: Basilisk - variant A'.a.a. Basilisk with one foot above a house and a Basel crosier in its beak. Knobbly silhouette. The initial RP below. Chain line through the centre of the watermark.
Closely related watermark references: Churchill 286 (watermark of Heusler of Basel, 1630); Heawood 844 (Leiden 1644, from printed book).
Completeness: partial
Chain Line Interval: 23 mm
Laid Line Frequency: 13 per cm
Placement and spacing of wires: 30 x 12 [23|23|13] x 10
Wire Side: verso
Radiograph taken from: verso