Prent naar een schilderij van Nicolaas Pieneman, voorstellende Rembrandt die een etsproef bestudeert 1852 - 1860

This print by Eduard Isaac Asser captures Rembrandt studying an etching proof. Consider the globe prominently displayed in the background. Globes have long symbolized worldly knowledge and exploration, echoing back to ancient cartography and the human desire to map and understand our place in the cosmos. The globe appears, transformed, in the hands of rulers in Renaissance portraiture, signifying dominion and enlightenment. Yet, here, it hovers behind Rembrandt, not as an emblem of power, but as a silent witness to the artist’s solitary pursuit. The globe is a shadow of human ambition, a stage upon which individual dramas of creation unfold. Observe how the image reflects a cyclical nature: the print is made after a painting that represents the action of printmaking itself. Symbols and motifs, like the act of observing, evolve over time, resurfacing in different contexts. They become embedded in our cultural memory.