Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt bid so high at art auctions that nobody else would come forward. When asked why, he said it was to emphasise the prestige of his profession. He collected old uniforms, daggers, sabres, halberds, embroidered fabrics, Far Eastern art, and antique sculpture. He bought a large house in Amsterdam that he could not afford. When the Dutch economy collapsed in the 1650s, he had not completed even half the payments. In 1656 he applied for cessio bonorum, a respectable form of bankruptcy that avoided prison. Everything was inventoried and auctioned. It sold for a pittance.
Biography
He was born in 1606 in Leiden, the son of a miller. He studied briefly under Jacob van Swanenburgh and then Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam before establishing his own workshop, which became a factory. He charged a hundred guilders per student, an enormous fee, and did not provide lodging, contrary to standard practice. Over forty documented pupils passed through, including Carel Fabritius, Gerrit Dou, Ferdinand Bol, and Govert Flinck. Students sometimes painted the hands in his commissioned portraits after the sitter had left.
He produced approaching a hundred self-portraits: over forty paintings, thirty-one etchings, and several drawings. The series spans roughly four decades, from a young man experimenting with expressions in a mirror to an old man with no money and no illusions. The Rembrandt Research Project reduced the authenticated painting count, partly because he had students copy his self-portraits as exercises.
His wife Saskia van Uylenburgh died in 1642. He formed a relationship with Geertje Dircx, his son's caretaker; when it ended, she sued him. Rather than honour the settlement, he had her committed to an asylum. He then lived with Hendrickje Stoffels but could not marry her because Saskia's will stipulated he would lose access to a trust fund for their son Titus. This left Hendrickje publicly disgraced by church authorities for living in sin.
The Night Watch is actually a daytime scene, darkened by centuries of varnish. Its real title is Militia Company of District II under the Command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq. In 1715 it was trimmed on all four sides to fit between two columns in Amsterdam Town Hall. Two figures, the top of an arch, and part of a balustrade were lost. A seventeenth-century copy by Gerrit Lundens shows what was cut away.
Timeline
- 1630Painted "Bust of an old man with a flowing beard, the head bowed forward, the left shoulder unshaded".
- 1630Painted "An Old Man in Military Costume (formerly called Portrait of Rembrandt's Father)".
- 1645Painted "Men in oriental dress and two studies of a beggar in the half figure".
- 1653Painted "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer)".
- 1659Painted "Peter and John healing the cripple at the gate of the Temple".
- 1659Painted "Christ crucified between the two thieves (Three crosses)".
Notable Works
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Where to See Rembrandt van Rijn
5 museums worldwide.
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51 works
Rijksmuseum
Rijksmuseum, Netherlands
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42 works
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York City, United States
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37 works
Hermitage Museum
Winter Palace, Russia
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20 works
National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, United Kingdom
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17 works
Mauritshuis
Building Mauritshuis, Netherlands
Rembrandt van Rijn prints
Hand-finished archival prints from Rembrandt van Rijn's body of work.
Christ Preaching ('La Petite Tombe') - Rembrandt van Rijn
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A Bearded Man Wearing a Hat - Rembrandt van Rijn
From £28.00
Shah Jahan - Rembrandt van Rijn
From £28.00
Study of God the Father - Rembrandt van Rijn
From £28.00
Saint Paul Reading - Rembrandt van Rijn
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The Storm on the Sea of Galilee - Rembrandt van Rijn
From £30.00
Related Artists
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See all Rembrandt van Rijn prints →Frequently Asked Questions
Did rembrandt have children?
Rembrandt had a son named Titus with his wife Saskia van Uylenburgh. He also had another son, baptised Rombertus, with his first wife.Is rembrandt dutch?
Rembrandt van Rijn grew up in what is now the Netherlands. Amsterdam, where he worked, was then the wealthiest city in Europe.Rembrandt van rijn art movement?
Rembrandt was a wildly successful portrait painter during his lifetime. His reputation today rests principally on the probing, introspective paintings of his late years.Was rembrandt a christian?
There is some connection between Rembrandt and the Mennonite faith. A number of portraits of Mennonites by him are known.Was rembrandt van rijn arm of rijk?
Rembrandt bought a large house in Amsterdam that he could not afford. When the Dutch economy collapsed in the 1650s, he had not completed even half the payments, and he later declared bankruptcy.What is rembrandt harmenszoon van rijn most known for?
Rembrandt van Rijn is best known as a wildly successful portrait painter. Today, his reputation rests principally on the probing, introspective paintings of his late years, their subtle shadings implying extraordinary emotional depth.What was rembrandt van rijn known for?
Rembrandt van Rijn was known as a wildly successful portrait painter. His reputation today rests principally on the probing, introspective paintings of his late years.When did rembrandt van rijn die?
Rembrandt van Rijn died in 1669 at the age of 63.Where did rembrandt van rijn work?
Rembrandt van Rijn worked in Amsterdam, where he became a leading portrait painter. At seventeen, he opened his own studio with another artist.Where was rembrandt van rijn born?
Rembrandt van Rijn was born in 1606. Rembrandt van Rijn died in 1669, aged 63.Who was rembrandt van rijn?
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, now known as Rembrandt, was a character. Throughout his life he painted, sketched and printed self-portraits, and more than eighty survive.Why did rembrandt die poor?
Rembrandt van Rijn died in 1669 at the age of 63.
Sources
Editorial draws on the following primary and tertiary references for Rembrandt van Rijn.
- [1] museum Mauritshuis Used for: museum holdings.
- [2] museum National Gallery Used for: museum holdings.
- [3] museum Rijksmuseum Used for: museum holdings.
- [4] museum Hermitage Museum Used for: museum holdings.
- [5] museum Metropolitan Museum of Art Used for: museum holdings.
- [6] academic Rembrandt | Biography, Art, Paintings, Self-Portraits, & Facts Used for: biography.
- [7] book J. Bruyn, B. Haak, S. H. Levie, P. J. J. van Thiel, E. van de Wetering (auth.), A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings _ Volume II_ 1631–1634 Used for: biography.
- [8] book Charlotte Mullins, A Little History of Art Used for: biography.
- [9] book Dorling Kindersley, Artists: Inspiring Stories of the World's Most Creative Minds Used for: biography.
- [10] book Rembrandt van Rijn, Delphi Complete Works of Rembrandt van Rijn (Illustrated) (Masters of Art Book 9) Used for: biography.
- [11] book Lilian H. Zirpolo, Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture Used for: biography.
- [12] book Rosales Rodríguez, Agnieszka,Michałowicz, Klaudyna, In the Footsteps of the Old Masters Used for: biography.
- [13] book Masterpieces of western art : a history of art in 900 individual studies from the Gothic to the present day Used for: biography.
- [14] book Michel, Émile; , Rembrandt (1606-1669) Used for: biography, museum holdings.
- [15] book Steven Nadler, Rembrandt's Jews Used for: biography.
- [16] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [17] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell_1 Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [18] book Carol Strickland and John Boswell, The Annotated Mona Lisa _ba crash course in art history from prehistoric to post-modern _cCarol Strickland and John Boswell_2 Used for: stylistic analysis.
- [19] book Norbert Schneider, The Art of the Portrait (Masterpieces of European Portrait Painting, 1420-1670) (Midsize) Used for: biography.
- [20] book Mike Venezia, Worlds Greatest Artists- Rembrandt Used for: biography.
- [21] museum Rembrandt Laughing - Getty Museum Used for: technique.
- [22] museum Rembrandt (Rembrandt van Rijn) - Self-Portrait - The Metropolitan Museum of Art Used for: notable works.
- [23] museum Rembrandt: thinking on paper | British Museum Used for: exhibition history.
- [24] museum Rembrandt van Rijn - Rijksmuseum Used for: biography.
Editorial overseen by Solis Prints. Sources verified 2026-06-19. Click a source for details, or hover over [N] in the page above to preview.
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