REMBRANDT VAN RIJN Cornelis Claesz Anslo, Preacher.
Etching and drypoint on Chine collé, 1641. 190x160 mm; 7 1/2x6 1/4 inches, narrow margins. Biörklund's fourth state (of 4); Usticke's third state (of 6), with the nail in the wall still partially visible; New Hollstein's fifth state (of 5). A very good impression of this extremely scarce portrait with all the fine lines in the background and the dense cross-hatching distinct.
Cornelis Claesz Anslo (1592-1646) was a prominent Mennonite preacher in Amsterdam who was portrayed by Rembrandt several times in paintings, drawings and this etching. He was the fourth son of the Norwegian born Dutch cloth merchant Claes Claesz Anslo, whose other sons all entered the family cloth business. Anslo's father founded a hofje (or courtyard with almshouses) in Amsterdam that the Anslo brothers managed during their lifetime. The hofje was partially demolished and rebuilt on the original location, today's Eglantierstaat 52, nearby the Anne Frank house and a short walk across the city from Rembrandt's house. Bartsch 271; Biörklund 41-J; Hollstein (White and Boon) 271; New Hollstein 197.
