A View of Amsterdam (after Rembrandt), by Lucy Brightwell (1811-1875). 1835. Source: Blaker 36, by kind permission. In his comments on Brightwell as a copyist, Michael Blaker reported an expert opinion that in this plate the only way to tell which is a genuine Rembrandt, and which is a copy, is to look for a slight crazing in the background of the original. It was assumed that no one could possibly could copy that. So what is really incredible here is that Brightwell has not only captured every line of the original, but has ("to an etcher’s eye") managed to suggest this effect in the background by making "the minutest variations in proportion of the images of spires, grasses and so on" (36). Unfortunately, it is hard to appreciate the effect in reduced form, but we must take an expert's word for it. — Jacqueline Banerjee
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Bibliography
Blaker, Michael. "Lucy Brightwell — Copyist Extraordinary." The Journal of the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers & Engravers, No. 7: 36.
Lucy Brightwell, in the British Museum Collections. Web. 14 June 2020.
Created 13 June 2020