Etching and engraving, 1635, fourth state of five. With the diagonal lines on the head of the man with the skullcap to the left of Pilate’s hand, and before the later address in the lower margin, a fine, rich and clear impression of this state Plate: 54.9 x 44.7 cm Provenance: Harrods Fine Art, 24 July 1973 Literature: Bartsch 77; cf. Hinterding 2008, no. 63; New Hollstein 155 The subject is based on Luke 23: 15-25 and John 19: 8-16 where Pilate, half-surrounded by High Priests, soldiers and others, and before an intimidating crowd, is to decide what to do with the arrested Christ. This is the largest of Rembrandt’s prints and is distinctively theatrical in its composition. Rembrandt even places himself in the scene as the man in the beret looking over the parapet to the left of Pilate, above the lance of the soldier. There is an oil sketch in the National Gallery, London that relates to this etching. The sketch by Rembrandt probably served as the basis for this etching which is often felt to be a collaboration between Rembrandt and the Leiden based etcher Jan Georg van Vliet. Recent research into paper stocks has shown a connection between paper used by Van Vliet and paper for impressions of this subject although this may only relate to the editioning rather than the creation of the etching