New Hollstein 170, state III — “Rebitten and reworked — and not by Rembrandt”

New Hollstein, verbatim: “Probably rebitten; many lines stronger and broader than in early impressions. Work on the cap strengthened, for instance, cross-hatching added at the base of the feather and along the brim of the cap above the eyes. The curved lines on the forehead extended over the brim of the cap. Strong horizontal shading on the right ear. Short diagonal lines added in front of the left ear, and to the beard, on the right side of the chin. Not by Rembrandt.” The catalogue lists seven impressions, two of them in Basan albums — which is why none surfaced in a search of online collection databases.

New Hollstein 170, p. 31, transcribed from the catalogue

What to look for

• —Many lines stronger and broader than in early impressions — probably rebitten
• —Cross-hatching added at the base of the feather and along the brim of the cap above the eyes
• —The curved lines on the forehead extended over the brim of the cap
• —Strong horizontal shading on the right ear
• —Short diagonal lines added in front of the left ear, and to the beard on the right side of the chin
• —The catalogue lists no watermarks for this state

Signature

Not visible in the catalogue's reproduction of 170/III. The catalogue does not describe the signature's condition in this state in words, and — importantly — it is not clearly visible in the reproduction of state II either. An absent signature therefore narrows an impression to state II or III and does not decide between them.

The signature rule across all four states

Impressions recorded in state III

• RISD Museum (Rhode Island School of Design)84.198.1269 · state confidence: strongly supported
• Private collectionNP-RMB-001 · state confidence: probable

11 impressions in the census have no state recorded and appear on no state page.

NP-RMB-001 is reported as state III and is unconfirmed. The object record.

Comparator images