Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

Rembrandt was born in Leiden and spent the early part of his career in his native city. He studied briefly in Amsterdam with the history painter Pieter Lastman before moving there permanently in 1632. Two years later, he married Saskia van Uylenburgh and together they had four children; only one, Titus, survived to adulthood. Rembrandt was a prolific painter, draftsman, and printmaker who made portraits as well as biblical, mythological, and historical scenes. His works appealed to the Dutch elite, especially the affluent mercantile class in Amsterdam. To meet demands, he oversaw a workshop where young artists like Carel Fabritius received their training. Following Saskia’s death, in 1642, financial complications strained his career and he declared bankruptcy in 1656. Though Rembrandt continued to receive commissions from loyal patrons until the end of his life, he depended on the support of Titus and his new partner Hendrickje Stoffels, with whom he had a daughter, Cornelia, in 1654. Rembrandt died at the age of sixty-three and was buried in an unmarked grave in the Westerkerk (Western Church) in Amsterdam.