Signed and dated "RH 1626." Bredius 532. One of the few early history paintings with an easily identifiable subject, but so jarring in composition and color that several art historians vehemently deny that Rembrandt could have painted it. Nonetheless, its authenticity now seems indisputable. The composition is an extreme adaptation of a horizontal print by the Flemish-Italian artist Stradanus (1523-1605). Apparently in an attempt to see how far he could go compressing figures and motifs into a confined space, Rembrandt oversteps the bounds of artistic propriety. The work left no trace of itself in documents or copies by other masters until its rediscovery in the early 20th century. (Gary Schwartz, "Rembrandt: his life, his paintings," 1985)