Expulsion of the Money Changers from the Temple - Jean de Bary

A detailed etching by Jean de Bary, reproducing Rembrandt's 1635 scene of the Expulsion of the Money Changers from the Temple.

This etching is a historical curiosity within the field of printmaking. It is a copy, or forgery, by Jean de Bary, based on the original 1635 etching by Rembrandt van Rijn. The work depicts the biblical scene of Christ driving the merchants and money changers from the temple. The composition is dense, filled with figures in various states of agitation and flight, while animals scatter in the foreground.

De Bary replicates the dramatic lighting and the chaotic energy of the original, though the line work exhibits the characteristics of a copyist rather than the master himself. A notable feature of this print is the inclusion of a background scene borrowed from another Rembrandt work, specifically the landscape from the Raising of Lazarus. This hybrid approach was common among printmakers who sought to emulate the style and market success of Rembrandt.

Technically, the etching employs a range of hatching and cross-hatching to define the deep shadows of the temple interior and the illuminated figures. The artist focuses on the emotional intensity of the event, capturing the moment of confrontation. As a copy, it provides insight into the reception and circulation of Rembrandt's prints during the seventeenth century. Collectors of historical prints value such works for their connection to the original master and their role in the history of print reproduction. The print serves as a record of how artists of the period studied and disseminated the techniques of their contemporaries through the medium of etching.