Transcending Tradition: Rembrandt's Death of the Virgin 1639: A Re-Vision

Abstract

Rembrandt's identification as a 'protestant' painter has led art historians to eschew a 'Catholic' reading of his work while acknowledging at the same time that some of his subjects are 'Catholic' or 'made for a Catholic audience'. One such etching is Rembrandt's Death of the Virgin (1639). Despite the fact that this is a profoundly Catholic subject, any analysis that has been made seeks to interpret this work from a protestant or even a secular perspective. A reading of this work using insights from Catholic theology and Christian legend suggests that Rembrandt transcends the religious categories of his own time and those that our time has attempted to impose on him. An emphasis on a protestant interpretation robs this work of dimension. Rembrandt's Death of the Virgin is at the same time, an acknowledgement of pictorial tradition, a theological document, an examination of his beliefs and a commentary on the religious beliefs of his age.