Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn - A sleeping Puppy (B., Holl. 158; H. 174)

Lot 231. etching with drypoint, circa 1640, third, final state, after the reduction of the plate, a very good impression of this rare, lightly bitten print, with touches of burr to the darker strokes in the background upper right, with margins, a tiny spot of adhesive (?) under the tail, very pale mount staining in the margins, in very good condition, framed - P. 38 x 82 mm., S. 47 x 90 mm. Estimate: £15,000-20,000

Provenance : With P. & D. Colnaghi's, London, September 1931.

Note : Given the delicacy of the etching the number of impressions printed must have been very few, which is corroborated by the fact that this print is extremely rare. In the first state the plate was somewhat larger, with blank areas to the left and below. In the second and third states the plate was reduced, thereby giving the impression that the dog is confined in a small kennel or box.

Christie's. Old Master Prints. 4 December 2007. London