Sterfbed van Maria Possibly 1639 - 1808

Rembrandt van Rijn created this etching titled ‘Sterfbed van Maria’ or ‘Deathbed of Mary’. Mary lies on her deathbed, surrounded by figures that look on with solemn expressions. Consider the cultural context: in 17th-century Netherlands, religious imagery was often used to convey moral lessons and spiritual truths. The figures surrounding Mary’s bed represent a community bound by faith, and the etching might ask how a community negotiates loss and grief. There's an emotional depth to the scene. Rembrandt captures the quiet sorrow and the collective mourning of the figures gathered. Death is a universal experience, and through Mary’s deathbed, we are confronted with our own mortality. The artist invites us to reflect on the human condition and the shared experience of grief, but also the hope and faith that can sustain us.