The Visitation, 1640

  • Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, Dutch, 1606-1669

Oil on cedar panel

  • 33 × 30 × 4 1/2 inches (83.8 × 76.2 × 11.4 cm) Unframed: 22 1/4 × 18 7/8 inches (56.5 × 47.9 cm)

City of Detroit Purchase

27.200

The Visitation tells the story of the meeting between Mary, who was pregnant with Jesus, and her older cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist (Luke 1:36–42). Rembrandt centers the narrative around the two cousins, bathed in a supernatural glow. From the elderly Zacharias, husband of Elizabeth, easing himself down the stairs with the help of a young boy, to Joseph climbing up the hill leading his donkey, the figures are linked by a series of gestures that stress the intimacy and emotions that bind the characters. Animals play a meaningful part in this painting. The dog, while providing a touch of informality, symbolizes faithfulness. The peacock watching over her chicks, a symbol of pride and vanity, is also a symbol for Christ, because it represents the incorruptibility of his flesh. This painting may relate directly to Rembrandt’s life. The face of Elizabeth is reminiscent of the artist’s mother, who died in 1640 just as his wife was about to give birth.

Signed and dated, lower center, on step: Rembrandt 1640

until 1656, the artist (Amsterdam, Netherlands) [cited in 1656 bankruptcy inventory of Rembrandt's collection]. by 1662, Hieronymus van der Straten, magistrate and burgomaster of Goes (Goes, Netherlands)

Prince Eugene of Savoy [1633-1736] (Vienna, Holy Roman Empire)

1736, by descent, Prince Eugene’s niece, Maria Anna Victoria of Savoy

1741, sold to Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy, King of Sardinia (Turin, Italy)

by descent, Victor Amadeus III

by descent, Carlo Emanuele IV (abdicated in 1802)

by descent (?), Victor Emanuele I. between 1798 and 1802, probably removed by the French to Paris. before 1808, dealer, R. Lerondelle (Paris, France)

1808, dealer, Sébastien Érard (England). 1812-1913, Robert, 2nd Earl of Grosvenor, later Marquess of Westminster (d. 1846) (Grosvenor House, London, England)

by descent, Dukes of Westminster to Duke of Westminster, Hugh Richard Grosvenor (Grosvenor House, London, England)

1913, sold to Alfred Charles de Rothschild (Halton Manor, Halton, Buckinghamshire, England)

by descent (?), Almina Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon [1876–1969] (Highclere Hampshire, England)

1924-1927, M. Knoedler & Co. (London, England and New York, New York, USA)

1927-present, purchase by the Detroit Institute of Arts (Detroit, Michigan, USA)

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Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, The Visitation, 1640, oil on cedar panel. Detroit Institute of Arts, City of Detroit Purchase, 27.200.