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Why did Rembrandt copy almost
two dozen Moghul
miniatures?
Zirka Z. Filipczak, Williams
College
To copy Moghul miniatures was a
strange move for a
seventeenth-century artist, and to
draw so many of them even stranger.
The standard explanation for these
unusual copies from the 1650s is
that Rembrandt recorded
contemporary and recent Indian
attire since he believed it
continued that worn in biblical
times. Yet his copies omit much of
the clothing’s detailing. Also, why
make almost two dozen copies when
only two of his compositions
incorporate specifically Moghul
dress?
The explanation I propose for the
numerousness of the copies is that
Rembrandt also became interested in
the different body language found
in these miniatures. From early in
his career his works stood out for “
thoughtful consideration of the
various passions…[revealed through]
the distinctive movements of the
body” (Van Hoogstraeten, 1678). In
keeping with the dominant Early
Modern theory of the relationship
between and internal passions and
physical actions he reportedly
urged pupils to act out situations
before depicting them. To his and
other European eyes the figures in
the Moghul miniatures must have
seemed strangely rigid and
enigmatic. These products of an
unfamiliar culture held Rembrandt’s
attention at a time when his own
work increasingly explored what
feelings could be conveyed with
minimal physical action. Even
though his copies look more
naturalistic, they retain much of
the stiffness. My thesis is that
Rembrandt copied to expand his
repertoire of poses and gestures
beyond the familiar European
tradition of body language. For
example, two of his works contain a
delicate gesture conventional in
Moghul culture but non-existent in
European art.
Another perplexing aspect of the
copies is that several drawings
resemble each other quite closely
and one pauses to distinguish them.
Why copy such close variations of
poses if the interest lies in
acquiring new stances and gestures?
The repetition itself seems to have
been important. By drawing similar
images over and over Rembrandt
gradually absorbed the unfamiliar
and highly restrained body
language, its rhythm and it general
feel. He then creatively
transformed this influence to
develop new ways to convey the
passions of the mind with minimal
actions of the body.
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