REMBRANDT H. van Rijn (1606 1669) - "The flight into Egypt, crossing a brook". 1654. Original etching. Signed and dated "Rembrandt f. 1654" in the lower left corner of the plate. Ref: Bartsch, no. 55. Hind, n°276. Proof on laid paper. Late print. "This is Rembrandt's fifth and last print on the theme of the Flight into Egypt. Six states of the Flight into Egypt engraved in 1651 have survived, the artist tirelessly pursuing the search for nocturnal effects, around the glow of a lantern, from half-light to complete darkness. In this case, the image was completed in its first and only state. The composition is just as excellent as the execution. Rembrandt depicted the Holy Family crossing a stream. He skilfully started the line of the donkey's legs and St. Joseph's legs above the knees at the lower edge of the picture, which allowed him to give more importance to the figure of the Virgin, emphasized not only by its volume and central position, but also by the lighting. In order to accentuate the lighting, he used drypoint to create an area of intense black behind the figures, suggesting the depth of the trees, and he left a light layer of ink on the plate in places to invigorate the print with a very soft grey glaze, which contrasts with the luminosity of Mary. The face of the old Saint Joseph and that of the Virgin are imbued with an intense gravity and one would think one could perceive the nocturnal silence of the forest" (BNF). 9,5 x 14,4 cm. Condition A (cut on the copper mark or margin fillet).