Cottage and Boundary Post on the Spaarndammerdijk (‘L’Obelisque’)

Description

In Cottage and Boundary Post on the Spaarndammerdijk, a tall marker stands at the left, with a cottage near the center and low open ground to the right. Rembrandt places the upright marker against a modest horizon, giving it a presence quite different from the sheltering building nearby. The surrounding space keeps both features legible without turning the rural scene into a crowded inventory of objects.

The etching and drypoint dates to about 1650; this impression is the second of two states. The title associates the cottage and boundary post with the Spaarndammerdijk, while the familiar name L’Obelisque draws attention to the striking vertical form. Rembrandt finds pictorial interest in the meeting of a landmark, a dwelling and ordinary terrain. Their differences of shape give an otherwise quiet stretch of land a clear and memorable structure.

Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Rembrandt collection.