The Circumcision: small plate

Three smaller etchings depicting scenes from Christ’s childhood made in 1630-1631, including this Circumcision, are executed in a detailed, fine rendition, corresponding stylistically to Rembrandt’s precise brushwork in this period. The general atmosphere of the scene matches his early paintings. Rembrandt here prominently relies on light, putting it to sophisticated use and applying it to emphasise the principal characters and important details, and additionally uses it to delicately model the space and complement the scene's overall atmosphere, here evoking the presence of God. The vague costumes pf the figures recall the early Christian period, and the viewer is thereby made present at a timeless miraculous occurrence, but in a very serene and almost intimate rendition. Rembrandt depicts Biblical scenes as symbolic events.