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Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn - Buy or sell works
(known as Rembrandt)
15 July 1606, Leiden (Netherlands) - 4 October 1669, Amsterdam (Netherlands)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was a Dutch painter, illustrator and etcher of the Baroque period, who is numbered among the most noteworthy artists of this time.
Rembrandt was born into a family of eight siblings in 1606 in the Dutch city of Leiden. He was enrolled in school at the age of six, and moved to the Calvinist Latin School four years later. He gave up his studies at the University of Leiden to become a painter and completed a four-year apprenticeship under Jacob Isaacsz van Swanenburgh. He was taught historical painting by Pieter Lastmann in Amsterdam for six months in 1620.
Five years later, in 1625, his friend and fellow artist Jan Lievens opened a studio in Leiden. During his early period, Rembrandt followed in the footsteps of his teacher Lastmann by concentrating on historical painting and physiognomic studies. He completed his first etching in 1628 and worked from then on as a teacher. Rembrandt managed to attract numerous commissions from prosperous clients even as a young man. He closed his studio and moved to the Dutch capital in 1631. Upon arrival in Amsterdam, the city governor commissioned a passion cycle and in 1632 alone, he completed almost 30 paintings including Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. The artist continued to acquire many commissions due to his outstanding contacts with influential citizens in Amsterdam’s society.
His acceptance into the prestigious Guild of St Luke in 1634 allowed him to become self-employed. He married the niece of the art dealer Saskia van Uylenburgh the same year. From then on, he was entitled to hold student masterclasses in his own studio.
In 1640, Rembrandt turned to the genre of landscape painting after numerous cruel misfortunes, among them the death of his three children and his mother.
His son Titus was born in 1641. His wife died in 1642, prompting him to paint one of his most famous works - The Night Watch. The frequent tragic events in his close family circle had a negative impact on the painter’s artistic productivity. His etching Hundred Guilder Print is the most famous of his works from the following years. Rembrandt took Hendrickje Stoffels as a domestic maid in 1649. A romantic affair developed between them in the following years, which led to the birth of a daughter. Rembrandt’s financial situation deteriorated steadily afterwards, and he became unable to satisfy his debts, despite his significant successes. By then entirely impoverished, the artist passed away 1669 in Amsterdam after the death of Hendrickje and his son Titus.
It is currently believed that Rembrandt created around 1,000 drawings, 350 paintings and 300 etchings. The most famous of them include works such as The Blinding of Samson, The Night Watch or the Hundred Guilder Print. Numerous self-portraits also remain in existence as impressive testimony to the artist’s versatile skills.
His works - mostly etchings - feature regularly at Dorotheum auctions. His 1656 portrait of the goldsmith Jan Lutma was sold for €25,100 on 24 October, while the oil painting Portrait of a Young Man from Rembrandt’s studio went for €81,930 on 17 October 2017.