The Raising of Lazarus

Rembrandt painted The Raising of Lazarus around 1630-32, exploring the same dramatic subject almost simultaneously through both painting and the large etching he made of it — demonstrating his habit of investigating themes across multiple media in parallel. The miracle of Lazarus raised from the dead was among the most dramatically loaded subjects in Christian iconography, combining the supernatural spectacle of resurrection with the psychological complexity of witnesses' reactions ranging from horror to wonder to belief. Rembrandt's treatment in both the painting and print emphasizes the moment of command — Christ's raised arm ordering Lazarus forth — rather than the physical emergence of the body, maintaining the miracle's dignity while conveying its force. The painting's current location at 'Charles Sedelmeyer collection' refers to the Parisian art dealer of the late nineteenth century through whose hands many Dutch and Flemish masterpieces passed on their way to American and European collections; the work may now be elsewhere or in private hands.

The risen Lazarus emerges from the dark tomb into a shaft of light, his upraised arm and the astonished reactions of the witnesses creating a dynamic composition centered on the intersection of death and miraculous life.