“This powerful drawing by Rembrandt captures the haunting public display of Elsje Christiaens, a young woman executed for murder, offering a stark glimpse into 17th-century justice and human tragedy.”
In this stark drawing, a young woman hangs from a gibbet, her body a dark silhouette against a lighter sky. Rembrandt depicts Elsje Christiaens, a Dutch maidservant executed in 1664 for murdering her landlady with an axe after a dispute over unpaid rent. The artist sketched her as she remained on public display, a grim warning to others. He captures the scene with a raw immediacy, using vigorous pen strokes and washes of grayish-brown ink to convey the somber atmosphere. The small scale of the drawing, just over six inches tall, makes the intimate yet horrifying subject feel even more poignant, drawing the viewer close to witness this tragic end.
- Artist
- Rembrandt
- Date
- 1664
- Medium
- Pen and brown ink, brush and grayish brown wash on heavy brownish paper
- Location
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Dimensions
- 6 1/4 x 3 1/8 in. (15.8 x 8.0 cm)
What to Notice
Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.
The way the body twists unnaturally, emphasizing the brutality of the scene.
The details of her clothing, still visible despite the execution.
The dark, heavy lines of the gibbet structure.
The subtle washes of gray and brown that create depth in the sky.
1 more detail is waiting.
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Rembrandt
1606–1669 · Dutch RepublicRembrandt painted ~40 self-portraits across his life, creating history's most intimate visual autobiography.
Further Works by Rembrandt
Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol (born about 1599, died 1671 or later)
1626 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Man in a Turban
1632 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Herman Doomer (ca. 1595–1650)
1640 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Rembrandt's Son Titus (1641–1668)
1650 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Aristotle with a Bust of Homer
1653 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Old Woman Cutting Her Nails
1655 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Portrait of a Man
1655 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Portrait of a Man ("The Auctioneer")
1658 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
More from Dutch Golden Age painting
More works to explore
Beyond Rembrandt and Dutch Golden Age painting: works from the same years.
Same era · 1640s–1670s
The Astronomer
Johannes Vermeer · 1664 · Department of Paintings of the Louvre
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Frans Hals (1582/83–1666)
Frans Hals · 1650 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Ludvig VI, 1630-78, lantgreve av Hessen-Darmstadt
Salomon Duarte · 1665 · Nationalmuseum
Same era · 1640s–1670s
Resurrection of Christ
Samuel van Hoogstraten · 1665 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1640s–1670s
The Music Lesson
Gerard ter Borch the Younger · 1670 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1640s–1670s
A lady holding a crucifix
Willem van der Vliet · 1650
Same era · 1640s–1670s
Tancred's servant presenting the heart of Guiscard in a golden cup to Guismond
Adriaen van der Werff · 1678 · Fitzwilliam Museum
Same era · 1640s–1670s
The Denial of Saint Peter
Georges de La Tour · 1650 · Nantes Museum of Arts
Same era · 1640s–1670s
The Fall of the Giants
Jacob Jordaens · 1663 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1640s–1670s
The wedding party
Jan Steen · 1660 · Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen
Same era · 1640s–1670s
Bouquet of flowers in a glass vase
Jan van Kessel the Elder · 1659 · Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum
Same era · 1640s–1670s
Portrait of Edouard Molé
Robert Nanteuil · 1653 · Art Institute of Chicago