Kolumba Museum

Scholar, wearing cap and robe, standing between chair and writing table, holding pen in right hand, on which he is leaning against table, left hand placed on chair, looking without fright in direction of vision, parallel with and before glass window, consisting of shining disk, containing in its guartered center monogram of Christ, INRI, surrounded by two concentric circles with inscription: Adam te dageram (inner band); Amrtet algar algastina (outer band); round mirror, almost perpendicular to window, toward whose lower left area forefinger of right hand, of apparition concealed by disk, points; behind mirror, vague, almost obliterated, anthropomorphic shape, partly covering window frame; on desk, papers, small book; globe before desk at right foreground; at left background, bundle of folded papers hanging by window; shelves on wall containing skull and books.The subject of the etching is disputed, hence the various titles proposed: Dr. Faustus ( Faust in His Study ), The Practicing Alchemist , Scholar in His Study . Rosenberg writes that the term alchemist should not be taken in too narrow a sense. In the artist's time various scholarly and pseudo-scholarly activities such as astrology, medicine, cabalistic art, and theurgy were connected with alchemy and often practiced by the same person. Bojanowski (cited by Van De Waal in OH ) writes that the etching shows a practicing alchemist, a pansophist, an adept of some sect.Rosenberg writes that the etching shows a scholar, a higher type of spiritual alchemist, at the moment when he experiences a religious vision. He had been deep in his work, yet the interruption has not startled him. The disc, object of the vision, has a general resemblance to the magic circles found in contemporary conjuring books, and its religious character is indicated by the clearly defined monogram of Christ in its center. Attempts have been made to decipher the lettering on the disc. Rotermund (cited by Van De Waal) emends the inscription to read: "Tetragrammaton, King; thou art mighty forever; Adonai, Theos, Omnipotent, thou art mighty forever." The inscription is identical with that of an amulet at the time. These amulets invoke the name of God in different languages and were believed to give protection to those wearing them.Boon writes that the artist has taken the Cabalistic anagram on the luminous disk from an amulet to which magic power was ascribed. Moreover, in the practice of magic, the mirror at which Faust is looking signifies the hidden side of the world. This mirror is pointed out to Faust by an apparition emanating from but concealed by the radiant disk. The artist's neighbor Samuel Menasseh ben Israel was deeply interested in the occult. Van De Waal suggests that the etching is an idealized portrait of the Socinian Faustus Socinus (d.1604), shown contemplating Christ, the only man to have been admitted to the center of the one and only God.; |Robed and capped scholar standing before table, bent slightly forward, head turned toward vision of radiant disk appearing before glass window; in C of disk, INRI, surrounded by 2 concentric circles; next to disk, round mirror toward which forefinger of apparition points; books, papers, globe, skull on table and around room.; |The etching by the Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn (1606-69) is generally dated ca. 1650-53.;

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