Sick Woman with a Large White Headdress (Saskia) c. 1645

Rembrandt van Rijn created this etching of his sick wife, Saskia, using an iron plate and etching ink. Rembrandt used the printmaking technique of etching, in which a metal plate is coated with a waxy, acid-resistant substance known as a 'ground'. The artist then scratches an image into this ground with a needle, exposing the metal. When the plate is immersed in acid, the exposed lines are eaten away, creating grooves. Ink is then applied to the plate, filling these grooves, and the surface is wiped clean. Finally, the plate is pressed against a sheet of paper, transferring the ink and creating the print. The etching process allowed Rembrandt to achieve a remarkable level of detail and tonal variation. He captured the delicate lines of Saskia's face and headdress, and also the more densely hatched areas that create shadow and volume. This emphasis on line is characteristic of printmaking. It is a labor-intensive process, but one that allows for the production of multiple original images. In this way, it makes art more democratic, accessible to a wider audience beyond an elite class of patrons.