Rembrandt

Illustration number 0001534932
Dimensions: 2042x2495 pixels
License under CC BY-NC-SA by The Leiden Collection (New York)

Illustration number 1001252766
Dimensions: 527x650 pixels
License under PUB DOM

Illustration number 1001215504
Dimensions: 528x650 pixels
License under PUB DOM

Illustration number 0000172678
Dimensions: 544x650 pixels
License undetermined

Illustration number 0000003909
Dimensions: 650x568 pixels
License undetermined

Illustration number 0000003910
Dimensions: 650x568 pixels
License undetermined

Suggested searches in RKDimages

Object information

Object category

painting

Physical connection Reference in ‘composite artworks’: artworks that are/were connected, such as alterpieces, decorative pieces incorporated in panelling, and works of art that were intended to be displayed together, such as pendants and series.

part of a series

Rembrandt, Brillenverkoper: allegorie op het Gezicht (part of a series)
Rembrandt, Drie zangers (part of a series)
Rembrandt, Bewusteloze patiënt (part of a series)

a series of paintings depicting the five senses (the fifth painting, depicting the allegory of taste is unnaccounted for)

Support/medium

panel (oak), oil paint
Baltic oak

Shape/dimensions

rectangle (portrait format) 21.5 x 17.7 cm
The panel was enlarged and overpainted in the eighteenth century, the measurements were 31,7 x 25,3 cm. (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 1 (1982), no. B 2). During restoration in 1994 the painting was restored to it's original size by Menno Dooijes (auction catalogue Christie's 1995-07-07, no. 57).

Signature/inscription Information about the signature, dating, inscription or any other mark on the front or back of the art work

unsigned, undated

Current attribution: Rembrandt
Since the discovery of this painting in the early twentieth century there has been a discussion about its attribution. Rosenberg rejected an attribution to Rembrandt, regarding it as an old copy after Rembrandt (Rosenberg 1956, no. 354). Bauch proposed an attribution to Gerrit Dou (Bauch 1960, p. 228-229; Bauch 1966, p. 48). In 1982 the RRP listed the painting in the B-category of the Corpus with paintings of which an attribution to Rembrandt cannot be accepted nor rejected (Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 1 (1982), no. B 2). Tümpel regarded it as a work by an early follower of Rembrandt (Tümpel 1986, no. A 28). Since the restoration of the painting in 1994, removing the eighteenth century additions and overpainting, most art historians agree on an attribution to Rembrandt (see for instance: Van Straten/Moerman 2005, p. 30; Weller et al. 2011, no. 2; Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015, vol. 6 (2015), no. 3).

Date Exact or approximate dating of the described art work; the search parameters adopted for this art work in this database, are found in brackets.: c. 1624-1625 (1624 - 1625)

Subject

Title Title of the art-work in Dutch: De operatie
Other (former) title Other title(s) or name(s) which the work of art has had, or by which it is also known. This sometimes involves rejected identifications of the subject or sitter.: Allegory of touch
English title: Stone operation
Genre: genre
Keywords: genre, allegory, touch (sense), health care function, three human figures, candle-lighting, looking on, keisnijden (cutting out the stone of madness)

Provenance

Collection(s)

Private collection
England (Benesch 1940, editorial note)
private collection Cornelis Johannes Karel van Aalst, Hoevelaken , inv./cat.nr cat. 1939, p. 330
1939 - bought shortly before 1939 (Von Moltke 1939, p. 330)
private collection N.J. van Aalst, Hoevelaken
by descent from his father Cornelis Johannes Karel van Aalst (online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06); on consignment with G. Cramer Oude Kunst B.V. from 1965 to 1979 (auction catalogue Christe's 1995-07-07, no. 57; online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06)
private collection Willem van Aalst, Nederland
bought from the descendants of Nicolaas Johannes van Aalst (online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06)
1984 - online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06
Private collection
Switzerland (online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06)
- 1995-07-07 date of auction
private collection Edgar James Swaab, Nederland
online collection catalogue, accessed 2017-04-06
- 2007
The Leiden Collection, New York City , inv./cat.nr RR-102
2007-01 - Weller e.a. 2011, no. 2

Auction(s)

Christie's (London (England)) 1995-07-07, afb. kleurenreproductie, lotnr. 57
386.500 GBP

list of results

Exhibitions and literature

Exhibitions

Rembrandt als leermeester Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal , Leiden (city) , 1956-06-01 - 1956-09-01 , cat. no. 3
Cramer [1968] Galerie G. Cramer , The Hague (city) , 1968 - 1969 , cat. no. 12
Rembrandt et ses élèves = Rembrandt and his pupils [Montreal, 1969] Montreal Museum of Fine Arts , Montreal (Canada) , 1969-01-09 - 1969-02-23 , cat. no. 3
Rembrandt and his pupils Art Gallery of Ontario , Toronto (Canada) , 1969-03-15 - 1969-04-29 , cat. no. 3
25e Oude kunst- en antiekbeurs der Vereeniging van Handelaren in Oude Kunst in Nederland [Delft, 1973] Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof , Delft (city) , 1973-08-30 - 1973-09-19 , p. 64
Geschildert tot Leyden anno 1626 Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal , Leiden (city) , 1976-11-18 - 1977-01-09 , cat. no. S 28B
Hans M. Cramer : paintings by old masters Hans M. Cramer , The Hague (city) , 1979 - 1980 , cat. no. 48
Rembrandt and the Bible Sogo Museum of Art , Yokohama , 1986-10-31 - 1986-12-23 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt and the Bible Fukuoka Art Museum , Fukuoka (city) , 1987-01-06 - 1987-02-01 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt and the Bible Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art , Kyoto (city) , 1987-02-07 - 1987-03-22 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt och hans tid : människan i centrum = Rembrandt and his age : focus on man Nationalmuseum Stockholm , Stockholm (city) , 1992-10-02 - 1993-01-06 , cat. no. 47
On loan with the permanent collection ("Rembrandtjaar") Museum De Lakenhal , Leiden (city) , 2006 , cat. no. B146
Rembrandt : the quest for chiaroscuro National Museum of Western Art [Tokyo] , Tokyo (city) , 2011-03-12 - 2011-06-12 , cat. no. 081
Rembrandt : the quest for chiaroscuro Nagoya City Art Museum , Nagoya , 2011-06-25 - 2011-09-04 , cat. no. 081
Rembrandt in America : collecting and connoisseurship North Carolina Museum of Art , Raleigh (North Carolina) , 2011-10-30 - 2012-01-22 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt in America : collecting and connoisseurship Cleveland Museum of Art , Cleveland (Ohio) , 2012-02-19 - 2012-05-28 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt in America : collecting and connoisseurship Minneapolis Institute of Arts , Minneapolis (Minnesota) , 2012-06-24 - 2012-09-16 , cat. no. 2
On loan with the permanent collection Virginia Museum of Fine Arts , Richmond (Virginia) , 2012-12 - 2013-12
Emoties : geschilderde gevoelens in de gouden eeuw Frans Halsmuseum , Haarlem (city) , 2014-10-11 - 2015-02-15 , cat. no. 24
On loan with the permanent collection Worcester Art Museum (Massachusetts) , Worcester (Massachusetts) , 2015-02-15 - 2016-02-01
The Promise of Youth: Rembrandt’s ‘Senses’ Rediscovered J. Paul Getty Museum , Los Angeles (California) , 2016-05-11 - 2016-08-28
On loan with the permanent collection Ashmolean Museum , Oxford (England) , 2016-09-01 - 2016-11-30
Rembrandt’s First Paintings: The Four Senses Rembrandt-Huis , Amsterdam (city) , 2016-12-12 - 2017-02-02
Chefs-d’oeuvre de la collection Leiden : le siècle de Rembrandt Musée du Louvre , Paris , 2017-02-22 - 2017-05-22 , cat. no. 17
Rembrandt and His Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection National Art Museum of China , Beijing (city) , 2017-06-17 - 2017-09-03 , cat. no. 2
Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals in the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection Long Museum , Shanghai (city) , 2017-09-23 - 2018-02-25 , p. 48-49
The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection Poesjkin Museum , Moskou , 2018-03-28 - 2018-07-22 , cat. no. 47
The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection Hermitage , Sint-Petersburg (city) , 2018-09-05 - 2019-01-13 , cat. no. 47
Rembrandt, Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age : masterpieces from The Leiden Collection and the Musée du Louvre Louvre Abu Dhabi , Abu Dhabi , 2019-02-14 - 2019-05-18 , cat. no. 16

Literature

Von Moltke 1939 , p. 330
Benesch 1940 , p. 10
Van Wessem 1956 , no. 3
Knuttel 1956 , p. 240
Rosenberg 1956 , p. 354
Bauch 1960 , p. 228-229
Bauch 1966 , p. 48
Den Haag 1968 , no. 12
Leiden 1968 , under no. 37
Bredius/Gerson 1969 , no. 421A
Held 1969A , p. 387
Montreal 1969 , no. 3
Benesch 1970 , vol. 1, p. 175–189, no. 106
Delft 1973 , p. 64
Ekkart/Wurfbain 1976 , no. S 28B
Den Haag 1979 , p. 78-79, no. 48
Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015 , vol. 1 (1982), no. B 2
Schwartz 1984 , ill. 14
Yokohama 1986 , no. 2
Tümpel 1986 , no. A 28 , as by an early follower of Rembrandt situated in Leiden
Cavalli-Björkman et al. 1992 , no. 47
Broos 1995 , p. 50-51
Wetering e.a 2001 , no. 10
Sutton 2002 , p. 198-201
Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015 , vol. 4 (2005), p. 627
Van Straten/Moerman 2005 , p. 30, ill. 15
Vogelaar/Korevaar 2005 , p. 14
Schwartz 2006 , p. 274
Kofuku et al. 2011 , no. 081
Weller et al. 2011 , no. 2
Schwartz et al. 2014 , no. 24
Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings 1982-2015 , vol. 6 (2015), no. 3
DiFuria 2016 , p. 162-165, no. 7.1
Van Tuinen 2016 , p. 24-25, 27-30, 32-34
Schnackenburg 2016 , p. 25
Van de Wetering 2016 , p. 144-146, no. 133
Ducos/Suhr 2017 , p. 54, no. 17
Ducos/Yeager-Crasselt 2019 , p. 77-78, no. 16

A.B. Libby, I. van Tuinen and A.K. Wheelock Jr., "Allegory of Hearing, Allegory of Smell, Allegory of Touch, from The Series of the Five Senses", in: The Leiden Collection Catalogue, A.K. Wheelock Jr. (ed.), New York 2017 (permanently stored on: http://www.theleidencollection.com/archive/)
H. Kaufmann, Die Fünfsinne in der niederländischen Malerei der 17 Jahrhunderts, in: Kunstgeschichtliche Studien (1944), p. 145–46
H. Cramer, Galerie Hans Cramer, The Hague 1965/66, p. 18
H. Cramer, Galerie Hans Cramer, The Hague 1966/67, p. 20
B. Haboldt, Singular Vision: Haboldt & Co.’s Old Master Paintings and Drawings since 1983, Amsterdam 2012, p. 355
L. Yeager-Crasselt, Rembrandt and His Time: China and the Dutch Republic in the Golden Age, in: L. Yeager-Crasselt (ed.), 'Rembrandt and His Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection', Beijing 2017, p. 6, no. 1
L. Yeager-Crasselt, Stone Operation (Allegory of Touch), in: L. Yeager-Crasselt (ed.), 'Rembrandt and His Time: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection', Beijing 2017, p. 24, 172, no. 2
'Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals in the Dutch Golden Age: Masterpieces from The Leiden Collection', exh. cat. Shanghai, Long Museum, Shanghai 2017, p. 48-49
L. Yeager-Crasselt, Stone Operation (Allegory of Touch), in: P. Lyubimova (ed.), "The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer: Masterpieces of The Leiden Collection", Moscow 2018, p. 160-161, 241, no. 47

Visual documentation

Visual documentation

Location image Location of the image in the visual documentation.

BD/Digital Collection (img.nr. 0001534932)
BD/Digital Collection (img.nr. 1001252766)
BD/Digital Collection (img.nr. 1001215504)
, Original location BD/RKD/0552 - ONS/Genre 1: General (img.nr. 0000172678)
, Original location BD/RKD/0552 - ONS/Genre 1: General (img.nr. 0000003909)
, Original location BD/RKD/0552 - ONS/Genre 1: General (img.nr. 0000003910)

Project: The Rembrandt Database

Technical documentation

The RKD manages a collection of technical documentation that has been given to us by external researchers and museums or which stems from the RKD's own research with infrared reflectography. Documentation can be accessed by appointment at the RKD. While not all technical documentation has been entered in the database at present, new data is added on a regular basis.

18 hits in RKD technical, relating to:

Technical examination type

sample

cross-section RCE5454, 1985-09 4 hits
background
cross-section no. museum: 1353/2
cross-section RCE5455, 1985-09 4 hits
not specified (right-hand bottom corner)
cross-section no. museum: 1353/3
cross-section RCE5456, 1985-11-14 4 hits
not specified (cross-section from the enlarged part on the right-hand side of the panel)
cross-section no. museum: 1353/15

Research and restoration projects

study, 1966-06-15 1 hits
conservation, 1985 — 1991 9 hitsinvolved_persons: Menno Dooijes
Date of the restoration derived from the treatment report of the painting 'A pedlar selling spectacles' of the Lakenhal in Leiden dd. 1994 (technical documentation record no. 5005602)

External links: A.B. Libby, I. van Tuinen and A.K. Wheelock Jr., "Allegory of Hearing, Allegory of Smell, Allegory of Touch, from The Series of the Five Senses", in: The Leiden Collection Catalogue, A.K. Wheelock Jr. (ed.), New York 2017 (permanently stored on: http://www.theleidencollection.com/archive/)

Permalink: https://rkd.nl/explore/images/3792

Creation date: 1997-04-08; Last modified date: 2023-04-03

Sluiten

Explore

Rembrandt

Comments

My selections