Description
Abraham Francen sits at a desk on the right of this densely shaded portrait, facing toward the left. A bright window lies beside his head, while pictures occupy the darker area behind him. Rembrandt connects the apothecary’s likeness with an interior whose furnishings and illumination remain active parts of the image, giving the seated figure a setting of his own.
Made about 1656, the work combines etching, engraving and drypoint, with shading made using a mezzotint rocker. This impression belongs to the tenth of twelve states, preserving one stage in the plate’s extended development. The range of techniques gives the portrait a notably worked surface, bringing several kinds of mark into one presentation. Its interest lies in that meeting of a named sitter and a carefully developed graphic image, where individuality is carried through the processes of printmaking.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Rembrandt collection.
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