Technical Data · Work ID

Diagnostic overview

The investigation focuses on five diagnostic axes:

1. Paper and watermark analysis (Fortuna)
2. Burr and line morphology (macro + micro)
3. Plate state diagnostics
4. Comparatives against museum impressions
5. Structural overlays

State IIa

State IIa is defined here as a structural plate state, not a tonal or printing variant. It is characterized by engraved elements introduced and later modified or removed before the plate reached the catalogued State III. The diagnosis is anchored in two convergent, state-bounded structures: Zone A (central dress triangle) and Zone B (right wall / architectural system).

Microscopy and process exclusion

High-magnification microscopy (400–600×+) documents authentic intaglio morphology: physically incised grooves, organic line vibration, ink accumulation within recessed channels, and direct ink–fiber interaction. No reticulated screens, dot patterns, chemical textures, or surface films consistent with photomechanical reproduction are observed.

Paper evidence

The sheet bears a fully legible Fortuna watermark (dancing female figure on a globe), documented in transmitted light. The watermark and laid structure are treated strictly as material support evidence and integrated with the plate-state diagnostics and microscopy.

Watermark and Paper Analysis

Fortuna Watermark

• Central watermark, visible in transmitted light.
• Fully intact (100%).

Morphological description:

• Pedestal with central globe.
• Female figure in dancing pose.
• Veil or handkerchief raised above the head.
• Complex figurative wire construction.

Identification

The watermark corresponds to the Fortuna type documented in technical studies of watermarks in Rembrandt’s prints:

• Ash, Nancy & Fletcher, Shelley, Watermarks in Rembrandt’s Prints, National Gallery of Art, 1998 (variants F.a–F.d).
• WIRE Project (Cornell University) records Fortuna watermarks in Rembrandt impressions, with documented chain-line spacing of 27–30 mm and occurrences alongside PvL / PvL Ley countermarks.

PvL countermarks are associated with the mill of Pieter van der Ley (active ca. 1638–1660).

Documented examples in Rembrandt prints

• Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill, 1639 (B.21).
• Christ Disputing with the Doctors, 1652 (B.65).
• The Hundred Guilder Print (B.74), selected impressions.

Relevance to the Álvarez impression

• Confirms handmade paper.
• Chronologically compatible with Rembrandt’s lifetime.
• Materially consistent with strong burr preservation.

Combined with the structural evidence of State IIa, it reinforces the technical and chronological coherence of the impression.

Techniques Used by Rembrandt for Burr Formation

The burr present in The Jewish Bride results from a deliberate and complex combination of techniques employed by Rembrandt. Five techniques are materially identifiable in this impression.

Drypoint

Drypoint is used to generate pronounced burr in selected passages:

• Soft, ink-rich line edges.
• Fragile burr partially collapsing in later impressions.
• Clear ink accumulation along line margins.

This burr confirms direct metal incision and an early printing phase.

Etching

Etching establishes the structural framework:

• Primary contours.
• Fine facial and hand details.
• Architectural outlines.

Etched lines show clean edges, no burr, and uniform depth.

Hatching and Cross-hatching

Systems of parallel and crossed lines are used to construct volume and shadow. In State IIa:

• These systems contribute directly to burr formation.
• Some configurations are later altered or removed.

Diffusion by Printing Pressure

Controlled variation in printing pressure produces:

• Local differences in burr intensity.
• Soft tonal transitions.
• Partial diffusion of line edges.

This effect is exclusive to authentic intaglio printing.

Differential Use of Etching in the Background

The background relies predominantly on etched lines:

• Minimal burr.
• Regular line structure.
• Atmospheric function.

The macro analysis reveals a complex and coherent intaglio printing process, involving physical displacement of the metal, active burr, and controlled pressure variation within a single linear system. The coexistence of drypoint, etching, and hatching with intact relief indicates an early print with exceptional preservation of the original plate's volume.

Microscopy · Line and Burr Analysis

Microscopic examination confirms:

• Authentic drypoint burr with irregular edges.
• Variable V/U mixed line sections.
• Ink retention consistent with hand-engraved intagio.
• Physical evidence of engraved lines later removed from the plate.

The State IIa structures are therefore material, not optical.

Armand Durand and the documentation of State IIa

Note that the existence of an earlier structural configuration of this plate is historically documented. Armand Durand’s heliogravure reproduction of The Jewish Bride records a version of the composition that corresponds to this transitional configuration, prior to the fully established catalogued State III.

The Durand heliogravure reproduces the same diagnostic structural features observed in the present impression, including the unresolved triangular construction in the dress and the absence or incomplete development of later finishing elements. This demonstrates that Durand’s model could not have been taken from a State III impression, but from an earlier structural stage of the plate corresponding to what is here defined as State IIa.

Therefore, the Durand reproduction provides independent historical confirmation that this transitional state of the plate did exist, even if surviving impressions are today extremely rare or unrecorded in museum collections.

The very fact that Durand chose to reproduce this specific configuration of the plate, rather than the already well-known finished state, strongly suggests that his model was considered exceptional, rare, or historically significant already in the 19th century.

Plate State · State IIa (diagnostic analysis)

Plate state identification is grounded in structural line evidence and comparative study across State II and State III. State IIa is defined here as a structural transitional state: engraved elements introduced in IIa are later reworked or removed by State III.

Plate State Diagnosis — State IIa

State IIa is defined here as a structural plate state, not a tonal or printing variant. It represents a phase in which Rembrandt introduced engraved elements that were later modified or removed, before the plate reached the catalogued State III. This type of transitional state reflects active experimentation on the plate and cannot be explained by inking, wiping, pressure variation, or wear.

Diagnostic Zone A — Central Dress Triangle

• State II: no triangular structure in the central dress area.
• State IIa (Álvarez impression): appearance of an incomplete triangular form, built from converging diagonal lines.
• State III: reworking of this area; the IIa configuration disappears permanently.

This triangular structure:

• Is engraved, not tonal.
• Exists only in State IIa.
• Functions as a primary state marker.

Diagnostic Zone B — Right Wall / Architectural Structure

• State II: light architectural treatment.
• State IIa: introduction of a dense diagonal and cross-hatched line system.
• State III: complete removal of this system and replacement by a different pattern.

The deliberate removal of a coherent engraved structure confirms intentional plate revision, not print variation.

Selective Isolation Methodology

A technique for isolating systems of engraved lines has been applied by suppressing tonal values ​​and normalizing contrasts. This process allows the surface ink load to be ignored, revealing only the underlying structural configuration of the incisions on the copper plate.

Evolutionary Discrepancy of States (State Phylogeny) When comparing the Álvarez Print with the reference copy in the Rijksmuseum (RP-P-OB-725, State III), critical divergences in the architecture of the drawing are identified

The Álvarez Print preserves a coherent system of converging lines in key areas (such as the central triangle of the drapery) that have disappeared in State III due to the abrasive reworking of the plate.

The presence of these structures demonstrates that the analyzed work documents a state of the matrix that is chronologically earlier than the degradation observed in standard public collections.

The recurrence of these strokes in multiple isolated areas confirms that they are not random tonal effects or printing accidents, but an integral physical condition of the plate at a specific moment in its history.

Overlays

• Appearance of engraved elements in State IIa.
• Their elimination or reworking in State III.

Overlays function as structural proof, not interpretation.

Taken together, these overlays document a sequential modification of the copperplate: the emergence of engraved structures in an intermediate configuration (State IIa) and their subsequent reworking in State III. The consistency of these structural changes across the full composition confirms plate evolution rather than tonal or printing variation.