The Three Trees

In 1632, Rembrandt van Rijn created this celebrated etching in 1643, considered one of the finest prints in the history of Western art. The composition shows three ancient trees silhouetted against a dramatic sky filled with diagonal rain on the left and patches of sunlight breaking through clouds on the right. Below, the flat Dutch landscape stretches toward Amsterdam's distant skyline.

Rembrandt used multiple printmaking techniques in a single plate, combining etching, drypoint, and engraving to achieve extraordinary atmospheric effects. A fisherman and his wife appear at the water's edge, while an artist sketches on the hilltop. The print exists in various states as Rembrandt reworked the plate. This impression belongs to the Cleveland Museum of Art, which holds significant Dutch Golden Age works.