Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Etched Portraits and Narratives by Ferdinand Bol

Ferdinand Bol
Self-portrait
1642
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Young Woman in a Hat
1644
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Sacrifice of Gideon
ca. 1640-44
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

"And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight. And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face." 

– from the book of Judges, chapter 9 

Ferdinand Bol
Sacrifice of Isaac
before 1670
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

"And it came to pass after these things, that God  did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." 

 from the book of Genesis, chapter 22

Ferdinand Bol
Sleeping Philosopher
ca. 1640-46
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Pensive Philosopher
1653
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Philosopher Reading
1642
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
The Family in the Room
1645
etching
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Ferdinand Bol
Young Man in Beret
1642
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Young Man with Hat
ca. 1643-57
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Old Man
1642
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Man with Perturbed Expression
before 1670
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Ferdinand Bol
Woman with Pear
1651
etching
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC

Ferdinand Bol
Hour of Death
1642-44
etching
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

"For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun."

 from the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 9