Research questions
Twelve things nobody has established
Each of these is scoped small enough to finish, states what evidence would settle it, and records the dead ends already walked. Several need nothing but a photograph. One needs a library that holds the New Hollstein volumes.
Suits a student project
5 of the 12 are contained enough for a seminar paper or a dissertation chapter. They are marked below.
Cost to answer
Four are resolved by one photograph. Two need a conservator in the room. One needs a printed catalogue we do not hold.
If you answer one
It is credited to you, by name, on the claim it changes and in the changelog. How to send it.
Open
- RQ-01Does this impression carry the signature “Rembrandt f. 1638”, and if not, why not?The owner's working record describes the sheet as “state III of IV, without signature.” The Rijksmuseum's record for its impression of this composition states the inscription “Rembrandt f.low
student project - RQ-02Which of the four New Hollstein states is this impression, and what distinguishes state III from state IV?State is the single field that most affects how a print is understood: it locates the sheet in the life of the plate.medium
student project - RQ-03What are the plate and sheet dimensions, and does a plate mark survive on any edge?Dimensions are how a census row is matched, and a figure whose convention is unstated cannot be compared with anything.low
- RQ-04Does the sheet carry a watermark, and can it narrow the period in which this impression was printed?This is the question with the highest information value in the whole record.high
- RQ-05What is the chain-line spacing, and does it match any impression already recorded in the census?Chain lines are the widely spaced lines left in laid paper by the mould's supporting wires.medium
student project - RQ-06Was this impression printed during Rembrandt's lifetime, or later?This is the question everything else feeds.high
- RQ-07Does the verso carry collector marks, dealer codes or inscriptions?The back of a print is where its ownership history is usually written: collectors' stamps, dealers' stock numbers, pencil annotations, mount and hinge remnants.low
student project - RQ-09Does any drypoint burr survive in this impression, and what does the plate wear indicate?Drypoint burr — the ridge of metal thrown up by the needle — holds ink and prints as a soft, velvety black.medium
- RQ-10What caused the dampstaining, and is it stable?Two distinct things are being asked.medium
- RQ-11Can any owner of this sheet before 2023 be identified?The provenance is a 385-year blank followed by one documented sale.high