Rembrandt van Rijn

Rembrandt van Rijn was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher active during the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Leiden to a miller's family, he trained locally under Jacob van Swanenburg and then spent roughly six months in Amsterdam in the mid-1620s in the studio of Pieter Lastman before returning to Leiden to establish his own workshop, where he worked in close association with Jan Lievens. Around 1631 he settled permanently in Amsterdam, where he received portrait commissions and produced history paintings, biblical scenes, landscapes, and numerous self-portraits. He is noted for his handling of light and shadow and for a large body of prints. His later years brought financial difficulty and a 1656 insolvency arrangement. He continued working until his death in Amsterdam in 1669, and his output includes several hundred paintings and etchings.