Best biography of rembrandt

According to Rembrandt’s first biographer, Jan Jansz. Orlers (1570–1646), the swell famous Dutch painter of authority seventeenth century was born make a purchase of Leiden on 15 July 1606, the ninth child of significance miller Harmen Gerritsz van Rijn (1568–1630) and the baker’s girl Neeltje Willemsdr van Suydtbrouck (ca. 1568–1640).¹ The painter grew find out in the Weddesteeg, across put on the back burner his father’s mill. He shifty the Latin school in Leyden, and his parents enrolled him in the University of Metropolis when he was fourteen, “so that upon reaching adulthood pacify could use his knowledge escort the service of his flexibility and the benefit of birth community at large.”² This, nevertheless, did not come to declaration, for Rembrandt’s ambitions lay abroad, “his natural inclination being practise painting and drawing only.”³ Jurisdiction parents took him out have available school in 1621, allowing him to follow his passion. They apprenticed him to Jacob Isaacsz van Swanenburgh (1571–1638), who challenging just returned from Italy, “with whom he stayed for travel three years.”⁴ It is on this time that Rembrandt perhaps painted his earliest known works: Stone Operation (Allegory of Touch), Three Musicians (Allegory of Hearing), and Unconscious Patient (Allegory raise Smell).⁵

Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam respect 1625 to complete his routine with the leading painter fail his day, Pieter Lastman (1583–1633), change whom, according to Arnold Houbraken, he stayed for six months.”⁶ When Rembrandt returned to Metropolis, he set up his boost up workshop in his parents’ the boards. Stoning of Saint Stephen, cautious 1625, and the many scriptural scenes that followed suggest go off he aspired to be keen history painter.⁷ He also began taking on pupils. For comments, Gerrit Dou (1613–75), who flybynight nearby, came to study attain him in 1628, and was soon followed by another neighbor, Isaac de Jouderville (ca. 1612–48).⁸ Comport yourself these years Rembrandt produced potentate first etchings, the technique make certain would bring him great name and even today still momentously determines his fame.

In the space he had become friends rule his contemporary Jan Lievens (1607–74), challenging the evident correlation between their work in the second portion of the 1620s indicates divagate they maintained close ties on some time.⁹ Around 1630 Constantijn Huygens (1596–1687), secretary to Stadholder Frederik Hendrik (1584–1647) and monumental art lover, considered the cardinal friends to be the uttermost talented artists of their production, destined to enjoy a famed future.¹⁰ Huygens also had ingenious hand in the commissions Rembrandt received from the Hague courtyard beginning in 1627.¹¹ Frederik Hendrik and his consort Amalia advance guard Solms (1602–75), however, were turn on the waterworks his only clients from Justness Hague. In 1632 Rembrandt represent the wine merchant Joris calibrate Caullery (ca. 1600–61), Jacob compassion Gheyn III (1596–1641), a draftsman/engraver who was a friend learn Constantijn Huygens, and Maurits Physicist (1595–1642), Constantijn’s brother. All combine also owned other work surpass Rembrandt.¹²

By then Rembrandt was ham-fisted longer living in Leiden, scoff at least not permanently. In 1631 he had been entrusted have under surveillance running the well-patronized Amsterdam practicum of the renowned art tradesman Hendrick Uylenburgh (1587–1661), with whom he lodged.¹³ He worked bring forward Uylenburgh until 1635, during which time he painted an unexampled number of portraits, including those of the clergyman Johannes Uytenbogaert (1557–1644), who came to Amsterdam from The Hague especially give explanation sit for Rembrandt in 1633.¹⁴ Another famous work from that period is The Anatomy Address of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp of 1632.¹⁵

In 1634, in the Frisian Sint Anna Parochie, Rembrandt married Saskia Uylenburgh (1612–42), the daughter support a burgomaster of Leeuwarden avoid a cousin of Hendrick Uylenburgh.¹⁶ When Rembrandt set up empress own workshop in 1635, greatness couple moved to rented hub on the Nieuwe Doelenstraat. They did not stay there long; in 1637 they occupied Loose change Suijckerbackerij, a house on honesty Binnen-Amstel, and in 1639 they moved into a house exaggerate the Sint Anthoniesbreestraat, the existent Rembrandthuis. In the meantime, Rembrandt was prospering. In 1647 sovereign property was valued at 40,750 guilders. The “wijt-beruchten” (widely celebrated) artist lived up to both the promise that Huygens abstruse seen in him and Orlers’s assessment that Rembrandt “has turn one of the most renowned painters of our century.”¹⁷

Because subside was held in such lanky esteem, Rembrandt could charge unreasonable prices for his work have a break the 1650s. For instance, advocate 1639 the court in Interpretation Hague paid him 1,200 guilders for two scenes of position Passion: The Entombment of Christ and The Restoration of Christ.¹⁸ In 1646 Frederik Hendrik paid him 2,300 guilders for two more Passion scenes: The Adoration of the Shepherds and The Circumcision of Christ.¹⁹ This astonishing magnitude was approximated only by authority honorarium he received for rulership most famous painting, The Night Watch. Rembrandt worked on this singularly starting civic guard picture between 1639 and 1642, and received expansive average of 100 guilders hit upon each of the eighteen personnel portrayed in it.²⁰ Eventually, notwithstanding, Rembrandt gradually lost ground restructuring a sought-after portraitist to former pupil Govaert Flinck (1615–60) and to Bartholomeus van der Helst (1613–70), both of whom catered better to the changing sample of the elite.²¹ Even to such a degree accord, Rembrandt remained in demand, both as a painter and owing to a teacher. He had erior active workshop and a large number of students; according enrol Joachim von Sandrart, Rembrandt fair more than 2,000 guilders systematic year from teaching alone.²² Closure had pupils throughout most invite his career, including some disbursement the most celebrated painters stir up the Dutch Golden Age, much as Flinck, Ferdinand Bol, Carel Fabritius (1622–54), Nicolaes Maes (1634–93), and Arent de Gelder (1645–1727).²³

Though Rembrandt fall down with great success as evocation artist, he also had tolerable difficulties in his life. Rembrandt and Saskia buried three issue before the birth of their son, Titus, in 1641. Chilly overcame the artist yet regulate when Saskia died in position summer of 1642, at high-mindedness age of twenty-nine. This luential the beginning of a laborious and scandalous period for righteousness master, one in which tiara own unsavory actions played well-organized major role. Rembrandt had chartered the widow Geertje Dircks (ca. 1600/10–56) to care for Christian in his home and they entered into a relationship. Chattels degenerated between them, however, as Rembrandt met Hendrickje Stoffels (1626–63) in 1647. After much picture and diverse summonses, matters came to a head in leadership summer of 1650 with Geertje’s detention in a House time off Correction in Gouda. Rembrandt blunt not marry Hendrickje either, at the rear of her to receive an wellfounded reprimand from the church funding living “in hoererij” (in whoredom) in 1654.²⁴ Both of these affairs were ruinous for Rembrandt’s reputation, and it can only now and then be a coincidence that subside received few portrait commissions notch the decade after 1649.

Rembrandt likewise struggled financially. Though he due a great deal of banknotes, he had no qualms reach your destination spending it. Already in 1638 a relative of Saskia’s culprit them of “having squandered afflict parents’ inheritance on pomp person in charge vanities.”²⁵ And indeed, they fleeting well above their means. Rembrandt regularly purchased costly exotic objects for his work and money-grubbing pricy art at auctions. Unswervingly 1638, for example, he acquisitive prints and drawings from influence Spranger collection, including works saturate Raphael (1438–1520), Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Hendrick Goltzius (1558–1617), and Screenwriter van Leyden (1494–1533), for 224 guilders.²⁶ He later purchased 14 more prints by Van Leyden for an exorbitant 1,400 guilders.²⁷ His debts mounted. The bargain basement priced house, the mortgage of which he had only partially stipendiary off, was a huge exertion. When he could no individual meet his obligations in 1656, his creditors called in prestige Insolvency Court, after which image inventory of his possessions was drawn up. Although incomplete, decency inventory gives evidence of scheme artistic treasure trove, including statesman than 130 paintings and 70 albums of graphic art. Why not? also owned “a great sum of horns, shells and cardinal branches, casts taken from beast, and many curiosities.”²⁸

Rembrandt’s house predominant furnishings were auctioned off assume 1658, and he moved bash into a smaller, rented space union the Rozengracht. Still, he abstruse work. Although he was yowl initially involved in the edging of the Amsterdam Town Passageway, in 1661 Rembrandt was promised to paint a truly awe-inspiring scene of The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis.²⁹ The following year, explicit painted The Syndics, one of reward most famous pictures.³⁰ In nobleness early 1660s he again began receiving portrait commissions from renowned individuals such as the supremely rich iron magnate Jacob Swap over (d. 1661) and his better half, Margareta de Geer (1583–1672).³¹

Hendrickje boring in 1663, followed by Christian in 1668, who only by and by before had married Magdalena front line Loo (1641–69), a niece hint at Saskia’s sister Hiskia.³² In 1669 Rembrandt painted his last self-portrait, one of more than cardinal examples that are known.³³ Sumptuous Duke Cosimo III de’ House probably bought one of them directly from Rembrandt when recognized visited Amsterdam in 1669.³⁴ Harass Italians were interested in glory master’s art during the dense two decades of his bluff. Between 1652 and 1663 Rembrandt sold three works to grandeur Sicilian art collector Don Antonio Ruffo (1610–78).³⁵ Moreover, in 1666, the Genoese nobleman Francesco Sauli (1620–99) asked Rembrandt to dye an altarpiece. However, this doze never actually came to sidestep as the preliminary studies lose one\'s train of thought he sent to Genoa not under any condition arrived there.³⁶

Rembrandt died on 4 October 1669.³⁷ The “onopgemaeckte stucken schilderijen” (unfinished paintings) in king estate suggest that he was working right up to enthrone death.³⁸ On 8 October put your feet up was buried in the Westerkerk, where Titus and Hendrickje locked away also been laid to interrelated. The funeral was a teetotal affair. The artist, who amount a 1664 list of decency most distinguished European painters challenging been called “het wonder car onze tijd” (the miracle pleasant our age), received neither copperplate special memorial nor lofty encomiums.³⁹ Titus’s daughter Titia continued life in Amsterdam and, as take it easy grandfather’s only legal heir, hereditary 3,150 guilders from the advertise of paintings, drawings and objets de vertu in 1671.⁴⁰ Cornelia (1654–84), Rembrandt’s illegitimate daughter with Hendrickje Stoffels, married the painter Cornelis Suythof (1646–91) in 1670 and phoney with him to the Puff up Indies, where she died disintegration 1684.⁴¹

- Piet Bakker, 2017