After months of preparation and several acquisitions by the LDS Church, an unusually large collection of biblical Rembrandt etchings will open to the public today at the LDS Museum of Church History and Art.

"Rembrandt: The Biblical Etchings" features 46 of the Dutch master's works, 17 of which have recently been acquired by the museum, according to curator Robert Davis. The rest were loaned by independent collectors Shawn and Andrea Merriman and the Museum of Art at Brigham Young University.

Davis believes it is the largest collection of Rembrandt's biblical etchings ever assembled for one exhibit.

He said the church acquired 20 etchings from a private collector about a year ago, but there was not room to display all of them in the current exhibit, which opens at 10 a.m. today following a premiere showing hosted Friday night for local dignitaries and leaders of various faiths.

Part of the acquisition proposal between the church and the private collector was that the museum would mount the exhibit, Davis said.

Rembrandt van Rijn produced 300 etchings — 70 of which focus on biblical scenes — during his lifetime, in addition to hundreds of portraits and commissioned paintings. Regarded as one of the greatest of the Old Masters, many believe the quality of his etchings has never been surpassed, Davis said.

Prints made during Rembrandt's lifetime (1606-1669) from the copper plates he etched with a needle and chisel are known as "lifetime" prints and are considerably more valuable than later prints. Davis said there are a number of lifetime prints in the current exhibit, including a virtuoso piece in "Annunciation of the Shepherds." "There are all kinds of techniques present" in the etching.

Among the works featured are "Abraham's Sacrifice," "Joseph Telling His Dreams," "David and Goliath," "Adoration of the Shepherds," "Jesus Among the Doctors," "Return of the Prodigal Son," "Rising of Lazarus (The Large Plate)," "Christ and the Woman of Samaria," "Driving Moneychangers from the Temple," "The Crucifixion," "Descent from the Cross," and two of Rembrandt's self-portraits.

Davis lauds the artist's "unique ability to depict key moments of Bible stories."

"He communicated meaning and characterized individuals through their gestures and expressions and through the composition of the artwork. He also interpreted scripture from his Dutch viewpoint and filled his etchings with images of common people in humble settings to represent events from the Bible."

The scenes, some smaller in size than recipe cards, are "more than just illustrations of Bible stories," Davis said. "He brings his feelings and his understanding of people into them. He did it mostly because of an inner need, not because he was commissioned" to create them.