Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem

Rembrandt van Rijn (mentioned on object), 1630

The crestfallen Prophet Jeremiah rests his weary, old head on his hand. He laments Jerusalem going up in flames – in the background – whose destruction he had prophesied. Rembrandt heightened the sense of drama with powerful contrasts of light and dark. He derived the prophet’s bearded head from one of the old men he often etched around this time.

  • Artwork typepainting
  • Object numberSK-A-3276
  • Dimensionsheight 58 cm x width 46 cm
  • Physical characteristicsoil on panel

Identification

  • Title(s)

    Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem

  • Object type

  • Object number

    SK-A-3276

  • Description

    Jeremia treurend over de verwoesting van Jeruzalem. De oude profeet zit op de rotsachtige helling van een berg, de hoofd steunend op de linkerhand. Op een steen naast hem liggen een gouden schaal en kan en boeken, heiligdommen uit de verwoeste tempel. Links beneden zijn de brandende gebouwen van de stad en soldaten te zien.

  • Inscriptions / marks

    signature and date: ‘RHL 1630’

Creation

  • Creation

    painter: Rembrandt van Rijn (mentioned on object)

  • Dating

    1630

  • Search further with

Material and technique

  • Physical description

    oil on panel

  • Dimensions

    height 58 cm x width 46 cm

This work is about

  • Subject

Acquisition and rights

  • Credit line

    Purchased with the support of private collectors, the Vereniging Rembrandt and the Stichting tot Bevordering van de Belangen van het Rijksmuseum

  • Acquisition

    purchase 1939-01

  • Copyright

    Public domain

  • Provenance

    ...; ? anonymous [probably Margaretha Helena Graafland (1720-66)] sale, Amsterdam (J. Posthumus and H. de Winter), 10 June 1767, no. 13 (‘Een extra fraai Stuk, waarin Loth verbeeld is, zittende in een Rots, en rustende met zyn linkerhand onder ‘t hoofd, en met de Elleboog op een Boek ; voor hem staat een zilvere Schaal met eenige Kleinodiën, en in ‘t Verschiet ziet men de brandende Stad Sodom. Zeer krachtig en fraai van Coloriet, en uitvoerig op Paneel geschilderd. Hoog 23, breed 17 ½ duim [59.1 x 45 cm]’.), fl. 100, to Fouquet;{According to a note by J. van der Marck Ezn in a copy of the catalogue in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris, the paintings belonged to ‘Mevrouwe de Weduwe van den Heere Alewyn, geboore Geelvinck, vrouwe van Mynden en de Loosdrechten’. She has been identified as Margaretha Helena Graafland, Ambachtsvrouwe van Mijnden en de Beide Loosdrechten, the widow of Jacob Alewijn (1714-61); see Bruyn et al. I, 1982, p. 283. The couple first lived at Herengracht 615-17 and later at Herengracht 541; see Bijtelaar 1988, p. 92.} ...; ? collection Carl Philip César (1725-95), Unter den Linden 34, Berlin, 1768;{Inscription, etching, G.F. Schmidt, 1768; illustrated (in reverse) in Bruyn et al. I, 1982, p. 283, fig. 7.} ...; from Count Alexander Sergeievich Stroganoff (1733-1811), with two other paintings, 24,000 livres, to Count Alexander Alexandrovich Golovkin (1732-81), Paris, but kept in usufruct, 1 July 1778;{See Michel 2007, p. 198.} collection Count Alexander Sergeievich Stroganoff (1733-1811), Nevsky Prospekt 17, St Petersburg, 1793 (‘Le philosophe en méditation. Un vieillard vénérable, de la figure la plus noble, retiré au fond d’une grotte, assis sur un beau tapis, le coude appuyé sur un livre qui a pour titre “La Bible”, a l’air de réfléchir profondément sur les vanités de ce monde figurées par une quantité de vases d’or et d’argent, jetés négligemment devant lui. Hors de la grotte, on voit dans le lointain une ville en feu, des soldats qui montent à l’assaut, de malheureux habitants fuyant. [...] Il a été peint en 1630, date qui est au bas; Schmidt l’a gravé dans sa manière. Il est sur bois, d’un pied neuf pouces sept lignes de haut, sur un pied cinq pouces trois lignes de large [58.4 x 48.7 cm]’.);{Coll. cat. Stroganoff 1793, no. 38. The painting can also be seen in Andrei Voronikhin’s 1793 watercolour of the picture gallery of Count Alexander Stroganoff, St Petersburg, Hermitage; illustrated in Korshunova 2000, pp. 80-81.} his niece, Natalia Pavlovna (1796-1872), and her husband, Count Sergei Grigorievich Stroganoff (1794-1882), St Petersburg; his grandson, Count Sergei Alexandrovich Stroganoff (1852-1923), St Petersburg and, after 1905, Paris; from whom, frs. 300,000, to Herman Rasch, Stockholm, 1922; from whom, fl. 150,000, to the museum, with the support of private benefactors, the Vereniging Rembrandt, the State of the Netherlands, and the Fotocommissie, 1939

  • Remarks

    Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Documentation

    • P.J.J. van Thiel, 'De bijzondere iconografie van Rembrandts Bileam', Oud Holland 121 (2008), nr. 4, p. 207, afb. 8c (detail).
    • p. 127-140, afb. 1, 3
    • p. 96-98, 215, afb. 129, afb. 6
    • p. 111-113

Related objects

  • Related

Persistent URL

Questions?

Do you spot a mistake? Or do you have information about the object? Let us know!