Original etching printed on laid paper with indiscernible watermark. Second state of two. A good Basan impression in excellent condition.
Catalogue reference: Bartsch 192, II/II

Platemark: 9" x 7 1/8", sheet: 11 3/4" x 9 1/2", framed: 20 15/16" x 18 3/4"

In the eighteenth century, the print was described as 'the half finished standing nude'; the traditional explanation for its incomplete state is that Rembrandt died before finishing it. Although it was recognized that it showed the artist drawing from the model and not a sculpture, it was later noted that the etching was known in Holland as 'the statue of Pygmalion,' referring to the mythological sculptor who fell in love with his ivory statue and asked Venus to bring her to life. Today it is assumed to be an allegorical motif, a homage to the art of drawing and design.