Rembrandt's Moneychangers

An analysis of Rembrandt's Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple.

In the print Christ Driving the Moneychangers from the Temple, Rembrandt illustrates the wrath of Christ and the consequences endured for exchanging money in a holy and sacred temple. Through use of various light and dark line etchings in coordination with a strong diagonal that divides the piece, Rembrandt comments on the expectations Christ has of his followers and the punishment one receives for disobeying the teachings and guidelines that form the foundation for living a holy life.

Rembrandt illustrates the moment in a biblical narrative where Christ rushes into his temple, furious that money is being exchanged. The merchants, suddenly interrupted in their corrupt dealings, leap out of their huddle in shock but have nowhere to turn except to themselves as Christ rages in, displaying his full wrath and executing the consequences for disgracing his holy environment. The table has rolled off of the barrel, thundering onto the ground, causing multiple coins to slip off of the wood and clatter onto the floor. Startled animals also involved in the trading, such as oxen, sheep, and doves, contribute to the unruliness of the incident. Rembrandt’s portrayal of this scene demonstrates a divide between two worlds and spaces, one corrupt and the other pure. What was once a quiet scene of private dealing moments earlier has now transformed into a cacophony of chaos, clutter, and consequences.​

Regarding the condition and production of the print, the ink is not consistent across the sheet. It is darker and more prominent in the foreground, while small dots compose the open space towards the rear of the temple, which may be a combination of intentional execution by Rembrandt to manipulate lines, creating an illusion of openness, or it may be due to the process of wearing down after multiple reproductions over time. The entire image is outlined in a thick, black line and narrow white border, implying that it may have been previously cut down. Multiple stains mark the surface, discoloring the base of a chandelier, an elbow of a fallen man in bottom left foreground, and along the bold, black outline of the print itself. Possible tears also appear on a column in the background, as well as on a line radiating out from the arm of Christ, poised high in the air moments before he is about to strike one of the moneychangers. This print falls on the smaller side of the spectrum compared to the others by Rembrandt being analyzed. However, it is a standard size for small prints, and although it may be small in scale, this compares inversely to the large scale of its narrative and implied overall message.​​

Within the print, many prominent etched lines help to structure not only the spatial composition, but also the content of the narrative. For example, the columns forming the background that engulf the majority of the composition in the upper left hand corner draw the eye down towards the main action occurring in the center of the print. The verticality of these columns in conjunction with the hanging chandelier direct attention towards the narrative taking place below. On the opposite side of the piece in the bottom right hand corner, horizontal lines emerge in the form of fallen men and bucking cows and sheep. These people and animals serve to additionally separate the ongoing scene from other elements in the composition that are not necessarily as important as the events transpiring near Christ. The most important etched line and structured form that emerges from the combination of these verticals and horizontals is the prominent diagonal beginning in the bottom left corner that extends to the top right. In this diagonal, Rembrandt has structured the arrangement of figures into two large masses simultaneously connected and separated by Christ. The roped cords in Christ’s hand connect the two aspects of the diagonals, which are the crowd of hunched robbers shielding their bodies away from Christ in the lower left corner and the crowd entering the temple in the top right corner.​

The detail and skill of the lines differs depending on which aspect of the etching is being emphasized more than another. For example, Rembrandt employs much finer lines in the background than foreground in the form of small, minute dots behind the chandelier. Through the method of precise and refined markings, Rembrandt stresses lack of detail regarding objects in the distance that are not exceedingly important to the narrative but add to the overall scene and imagery of the piece as a whole. Thus, this execution also helps to further exaggerate and emphasize the current scene unfolding in the foreground. In contrast, Rembrandt etches thicker and bolder lines on the men’s clothing and figures in the foreground, experimenting with how lines can facilitate in conceiving and creating vivid spatial surroundings. With this symmetrical arrangement between the bottom left and top right section, a division occurs between the two crowds, thereby cutting off and isolating the robbers in Christ’s wrath. This segregation serves as an example to others looking on to learn a valuable lesson. The viewer is also interacting and engaging with the piece, in effect becoming part of the crowd, observing and learning the lesson as well.

Rembrandt also incorporates varying degrees of light in order to emphasize the severity of the robber’s actions as well as highlight the brightness and purity of Christ’s presence. He achieves this by intentionally neglecting to etch large spaces around specific objects in order to create a desired effect. The lightest light, located in the space surrounding Christ’s raised arms, illustrates the heavenly and unearthly nature of Christ as well as the strength and power of his actions. In the top right background, there is an opening where an entrance allows light from the outside to flood in. In this space, Rembrandt succeeds in playing with the essential idea of two spaces and two worlds colliding.

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