Description
Scholars now consider this drawing a rare, late work by Rembrandt. Here, Christ meets with Martha and Mary after the death of their brother, Lazarus (John 11:30–36). The composed dignity of Christ's face and his calm compassion contrast with the prostrate figure of Mary and the agitated drawing of the kneeling Martha, whose outstretched hands are repeated three times, suggesting a frenzied expressivity. Above Martha, white gouache obliterates the figure of a standing man as well as a first version of Martha's head. The combination of rough power and sublime tenderness that characterizes Rembrandt's late drawing style is here demonstrated in the dramatic rendering of the sisters' grief and the sensitive portrayal of the bearded old man who dries his eyes with a kerchief at the right.
Provenance
Edward Vernon Utterson; Private Collection, England; Rosenberg and Stiebel, New York; Edward Vernon Utterson, London (Lugt 909, lower center, in black ink). Private Collection, England (according to departmental cataloging sheet and Benesch 1973, vol. 5, p. 293, cat. no. 1068a). [Rosenberg and Stiebel, Inc., New York]
Accession Number
1962.116
Medium
reed pen and brown ink and wash, heightened with white gouache (in the heads of the kneeling figures)
Dimensions
Sheet: 17.5 x 20.8 cm (6 7/8 x 8 3/16 in.); Secondary Support: 17.5 x 20.8 cm (6 7/8 x 8 3/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund
Tags
Color: White Color: Gray
Background & Context
Background Story
《拉撒路死后基督与马大和马利亚相会》是伦勃朗晚年（约1662—1665年）的一幅极具感染力的芦苇笔素描。画面取材于《约翰福音》第11章：拉撒路病逝后，基督来到伯大尼，马大与马利亚姐妹二人悲痛地迎接他。伦勃朗没有描绘复活奇迹本身，而是聚焦于人性化的相遇时刻——基督站在中央，马大俯伏在他脚前，马利亚跪在一旁，姿态中饱含悲伤与恳求。
伦勃朗此时已进入人生的最后阶段：爱妻亨德里克耶和儿子蒂图斯相继离世，他本人也面临财务破产。这幅画中的情感或许折射了他对死亡、救赎与人类脆弱性的深切思考。技法上，他使用粗犷的芦苇笔触勾勒轮廓与衣纹，以棕褐色墨水渲染阴影，再用白色树胶水彩提亮跪者的头部——光线从基督身上发散，照亮了两位女性的面部，产生精神性的聚焦效果。这种"光从黑暗中的浮现"正是伦勃朗晚年素描的标志性特征。
作为荷兰黄金时代最伟大的画家，伦勃朗的素描作品数量庞大（留存约1400幅），其中晚期作品尤其以自由、即兴和表现力著称。《拉撒路死后基督与马大和马利亚相会》体现了他在圣经题材中挖掘人性深度的非凡能力，芦苇笔的粗粝质感与精准的情绪表达完美结合。
Cultural Impact
这幅作品代表了伦勃朗晚年素描艺术的最高成就之一。在荷兰黄金时代绘画中，伦勃朗对圣经题材的处理方式独树一帜——他不追求戏剧化的奇迹场面，而是将神性降解为日常人性中的悲悯与共情。这种"神圣日常化"的处理手法对后世的宗教艺术产生了深远影响，也使得克莱夫兰艺术博物馆的这幅藏品成为研究伦勃朗晚期风格的关键作品。
Why It Matters
这幅素描捕捉了伦勃朗晚年对生命与信仰的终极思考，其芦苇笔技法炉火纯青，是荷兰素描艺术的巅峰之作。作为克莱夫兰艺术博物馆的重要藏品，它为研究伦勃朗晚期风格提供了珍贵样本。
