Rembrandt's Mother late 18th-early 19th century

Costantino Cumano made this etching, called 'Rembrandt's Mother,' sometime after Rembrandt's death in 1669. Cumano was probably of Italian origin, but that's all we know. He was active as a printmaker in Paris. The etching depicts an elderly woman, her face etched with wrinkles, seated and cloaked in dark fabric. It is based on a painting by Rembrandt of his mother, and so it's a copy of a copy. The cult of Rembrandt began almost as soon as he died, and this etching is evidence of that. The appeal of an image of Rembrandt's mother tells us something about the social conditions that shaped art production then. It's a conservative image, drawing legitimacy from an artist who was already considered a master. To understand this work better, we might research the history of printmaking and the art market in France, and also the history of Rembrandt's artistic reputation. The meaning of art changes as the social and institutional contexts evolve.