Rijn, Rembrandt van. De Dood van de Maagd. The Death of the Virgin

Amst., 1639. Broadsheet, 43.1 x 33.6 cm (print size 39.2 x 31 cm). The Death of the Virgin stands among Rembrandt's most impressive and defining etchings, particularly wihthin his depictions of scenes from the New Testament. A fine etching, being the third and final state, with a remarkably wide margin (often Rembrandt's etchings are trimmed to the margin). An excellent, clean copy.

Provenance: William Sharp of Manchester, a friend of Sir Mark Masterman Sykes (1771-1823), one of the great connoisseurs of the period who owned nearly 100,000 prints. Sharp's collection was sold at Sotheby's on 1-12 March 1878. According to Lugt, the collector's identity may also be that of William Sharp (1795-1881) of Enwood Court, Handsworth, near Birmingham, 'a leading and glass merchant originally from Manchester', or perhaps his father. Collection of Sir Lawrence Gowing (1918-1991). Hollstein XIX, B99 (p. 54).