Woman bathing her feet at a brook

Issues of tonality were crucial to Rembrandt, who handled each such instance with utmost originality. Nudes were a prominent theme in the late phase of his artistic career. Although influenced by Rubens and Italian painting, his figures are rendered without a hint of idealization. The rich chiaroscuro effect was enhanced here by the use of the so-called surface tone that the artist achieved by applying, prior to printing, a fine layer of paint in certain areas of the polished plate. The result is a light grey tone under the rich etched lines in the shaded areas. Each use of a surface tone is unique. The master also experimented with different types of paper and intensities of colour. Such an innovative approach to printmaking had been exceptional until his day.