Jan Uytenbogaert, “The Goldweigher”

This print of the tax collector Jan Uytenbogaert marks one of Rembrandt van Rijn’s first uses of drypoint, not as a corrective tool but as a supplement to an etching. Here the technique accentuates the velvety quality of the sitter’s rich fur garment. Rembrandt presented the man as a noble and meticulous professional, while simultaneously hinting at his true nature: Uytenbogaert, seated in the midst of an office complete with a fine oil painting and a rich tablecloth, reaches out to the bag of gold presented to him, his hand grasping it in an almost lascivious manner.