Jesus, a slight figure among grown men, gestures as he speaks.
Bible in art · Luke
Christ Disputing with the Doctors: a Sketch
Rembrandt · 1652
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Rembrandt himself called this kind of plate a sketch: it is drawn quickly with the etching needle in loose, open lines, with a little drypoint, and signed and dated 1652.
The boy Jesus stands in the middle of the hall and gestures as he speaks. Bearded teachers lean over a high table to look at him, and others crowd in from the left to listen.
From the text
- “After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers” (Luke 2:46)
- “All who heard Him were astounded at His understanding” (Luke 2:47)
The artist’s own
- Jesus standing — Luke says he was sitting
- Teachers in turbans and tall hats, as Rembrandt dressed figures of the East
Details
The boy
The teachers
Bearded scholars lean over a high table to look at him.
Listening
A crowd stands at the left, some leaning on staffs.
Signature
“Rembrandt f. 1652”, scratched into the lower corner.
Rembrandt van Rijn, Dutch, 1606–1669. National Gallery of Art, Washington (Gift of W.G. Russell Allen, 1955.6.4) · Etching and drypoint · NGA Open Access: "Images of these works are available free of charge for any use, commercial or non-commercial, under Creative Commons Zero (CC0)." (NGA open data: published_images.csv openaccess = 1)