Drawing largely from the world-renowned collection of works on paper in the Fine Arts Museums’ Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, this exhibition examines a wide range of artworks from the 17th century. Complementing the upcoming Girl with a Pearl Earring at the de Young, opening in January 2013, Rembrandt’s Century sheds light on a fascinating roster of artistic personalities, both famous and forgotten, of the late Mannerist and Baroque eras. At its core is a generous selection of etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn — arguably his generation’s most influential artist.

The exhibition explores Rembrandt’s predecessors and his impact on followers both in Holland and internationally as it explores the rich print culture of the era, focusing on representations of artists and their world, portraiture, natural history, scenes of daily life, landscape and subjects drawn from mythology and religion.

Works by painter-printmakers such as Adriaen van Ostade, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and Jusepe de Ribera are balanced against contributions by specialized graphic artists such as Jacques Callot, Wenceslaus Hollar and Lambert Doomer. Virtuosic engravings, ambient etchings, exquisite ink drawing, fanciful watercolors and more illustrate the enormous range and appeal of printmaking and drawing techniques in the time of Rembrandt.