After Rembrandt (1606-1669) Dutch, "Man with a Golden Helmet" Framed Print. Plaque below image center with attribution. Prior gallery label on back. 

Overall Size: 17 x 15 in. 

Sight Size: 9 1/2 x 7 1/2 in. 

#9195 . 

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, usually simply known as Rembrandt, was born on July 15th, 1606 in Leiden in the Dutch Republic, now The Netherlands. His family was well off, and with a Catholic mother and father belonging to the Dutch Reformed Church religion played a central role in his life and art. He enrolled at the University of Leiden in 1620 but eventually wound up apprenticing to several history painters, including Jacob van Swanenburg, Pieter Lastman, and Jacob Pynas. In 1625 he opened his own studio in Leiden, which he shared with his friend and colleague Jan Lievens, and within two years he was accepting students, many of whom emulated his style so well that it is often difficult to tell what pieces were made by his pupils and which ones by the master. He moved to Amsterdam in 1631, staying with an art dealer at first, whose cousin he eventually married. In 1635 they moved to Vlooienburg, and in 1639 to the extremely upscale Breestraat, reflecting both his rapidly growing success and his wife’s increasingly expensive tastes. He used many of their Jewish neighbors as models for the Old Testament scenes he became especially famous for. Unlike most Dutch painters of the 17th Century, Rembrandt’s works depict a wide range of styles and subject matter, from portraits and self-portraits to landscapes, genre scenes, allegorical and historical scenes, biblical and mythological subjects and animal studies. Rembrandt never went abroad but was considerably influenced by the work of the Italian Old Masters and Dutch and Flemish artists who had studied in Italy. Although he quickly achieved youthful success as a portrait painter, Rembrandt’s later years were marked by personal tragedy and financial hardships. Only one of his four children, Titus, survived into adulthood, and after his wife died of tuberculosis in 1642 he became involved with a widow who eventually sued him for alimony after their love affair ended poorly. His love affair with a much younger maid led her to be excommunicated as well as an illegitimate daughter. Although his etchings and paintings were popular throughout his lifetime and his reputation as an artist and teacher remained high, the 1650s were marred by constant insolvency, as he had a tendency to acquire art, prints, and rare items as well as living well beyond his means. A downturn in the economy as well as the art industry worsened his situation, and he lost guardianship of his son as well as nearly all of his assets, though he worked with many dealers and former students in order to preserve a significant inheritance for Titus. In 1658 he moved to more modest lodgings in Rozengracht, but after his partner died in 1663 and his only legitimate heir died in 1668, he fell into maddened despair and died, incoherent and destitute, on October 4th, 1669. Today, his name is synonymous with the Dutch Golden Age of art, acknowledged as one of the most well-known and admired painters, printmakers, and draftsmen of the country and time, as well as one of the greatest visual artists in the whole history of Western art. It is estimated Rembrandt’s surviving works amount to about three hundred paintings, three hundred etchings, and several hundred drawings, and his impact, both creatively and in his business practices, can still be felt in the art world today.