# Christ Crucified between the Two Thieves: The Three Crosses

**Rembrandt van Rijn** (Dutch, 1606–1669)  
1653  
Drypoint printed on vellum  
Plate: 15 x 17 1/4 in. (38.1 x 43.8 cm) Sheet: 15 1/8 x 17 7/16 in. (38.4 x 44.3 cm) Mount: 22 x 28 in. (55.9 x 71.1 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41.1.31. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/354631).

## About this work

A shaft of light pours down on the crucified Christ between the two thieves, illuminating the grieving figures at the foot of the cross, while darkness closes in at the edges. Rembrandt worked this large plate in drypoint, scratching directly into the copper, which produces rich, velvety lines but wears down quickly; he later reworked it dramatically, changing the composition. This impression is printed on vellum, which holds ink differently from paper and gives the dark passages a soft, glowing quality. It is among the most powerful religious images in printmaking.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

Rembrandt van Rijn made this in 1653, aged 47. It is now at The Met in New York.

### How it was made

- **Drypoint.** Lines scratched straight into the plate with a needle throw up a ridge of metal, the burr, which holds ink and prints a soft, furred line. The burr wears down, so early impressions are the richest.

### [Rembrandt van Rijn](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/rembrandt-van-rijn)

Dutch, 1606–1669; born in Leiden; died in Amsterdam

Rembrandt trained in Leiden and Amsterdam, settled in Amsterdam in the early 1630s and became the city’s most sought-after portraitist. His later work grows rougher and more searching, with thick paint, deep shadow and faces that seem lost in thought, as in Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, painted for a Sicilian collector. He was also the leading etcher of his age, reworking plates through many states and making the medium as expressive as painting.

_Written by Ochre Editions._

## Facts

- Type: Prints
- The artist was 47
- Real size: about 15 × 17 in (38 × 44 cm). The 12 × 16 in print is close to life size.
- Century: 17th century
- Subjects: Christ, Crucifixion
- Colour: brown
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1045.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1045/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/christ-crucified-between-the-two-thieves-the-three-crosses-met-354631).