Jacob's Ladder

Rembrandt van Rijn

National Gallery of Art

The image shows an etching of multiple figures with varying visibility of their bodies. In the foreground is a reclined figure partially draped in cloth, with their head resting to one side. Above this figure, on the left side, there is an angelic figure with wings kneeling and leaning forward. Another figure is higher up on the right, turned away from the viewer and reaching upwards, showing the entire back and wings. The background features dark crosshatching and suggestive lines indicating light filtering through an unseen barrier, enhancing the dramatic lighting and shadowing in the composition.