The Three Trees

Currently not on view

The Three Trees

1643

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669)

Named for its prominent trio of trees, this is Rembrandt’s most complex landscape print. The artist deftly manipulated line and tone to describe a tempestuous sky and dramatic shifts in light as a storm moves over the land. Rembrandt’s inclusion of small figures—like the fisherman and his wife by the pond and a pair of lovers barely distinguishable in the shrubbery of the lower right—indicate humankind’s humble place in this vast view of the natural world. Like the tiny draftsman seated on the hill at the far right, Rembrandt made expeditions into the countryside around Amsterdam to sketch.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

The Three Trees

Date:

1643

Artist:

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Dutch, 1606–1669)

Medium:

Etching, drypoint, and engraving

Dimensions:

Plate: 8 3/8 x 11 inches (21.2 x 28 cm) Sheet: 8 3/4 x 11 1/4 inches (22.2 x 28.6 cm)

Classification:

Prints

Credit Line:

Gift of an anonymous donor, 1976

Accession Number:

1976-237-4

Geography:

Made in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe

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Currently not on view