The Shell, Rembrandt van Rijn, 1650
etching, h 97mm × w 131mm More details
Like many of his contemporaries, Rembrandt collected naturalia. He certainly owned this shell, which at the time was called ‘Hertshoorn’ (Conus Marmoreus). He recorded its details with great precision while working directly on the copperplate. In doing this, he took no notice of the reversal of the image that occurs during the printing process. This is why the shell is in reverse.
