Early Life in Leiden (1606–1631)
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on 15 July 1606 in Leiden, in the Dutch Republic. He was the ninth child of Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn, a miller, and Neeltgen Willemsdochter. Although his family was relatively prosperous and intended him for a scholarly career, Rembrandt’s interest in art emerged early.
He attended the Latin School in Leiden and briefly enrolled at Leiden University. However, he soon left academic study to apprentice with the painter Jacob van Swanenburgh. Around 1624, he spent time in Amsterdam studying under history painter Pieter Lastman, whose dramatic compositions and biblical scenes strongly influenced Rembrandt’s early work.
Establishing Himself in Amsterdam (1631–1640)
By the early 1630s, Rembrandt had moved to Amsterdam, then a thriving commercial and cultural center. He quickly gained a reputation as a gifted portraitist and history painter, attracting wealthy patrons and commissions from civic and professional groups.
In 1634, he married Saskia van Uylenburgh, the cousin of a prominent art dealer. Saskia became a frequent model and a key figure in his social and professional life. Their marriage coincided with some of Rembrandt’s most ambitious and successful works, including large group portraits and elaborate historical scenes.
Personal Loss & Financial Difficulties (1640–1650s)
Despite his artistic success, Rembrandt’s personal life was marked by tragedy. He and Saskia lost several children in infancy; only their son Titus survived to adulthood. Saskia herself died in 1642, the same year Rembrandt completed his celebrated painting The Night Watch.
Over time, Rembrandt’s spending habits, combined with a changing art market and shifts in taste, led to mounting debts. In 1656, he was declared insolvent and forced to auction his house, studio contents, and collection of art and curiosities. Although he continued to receive commissions, his financial situation remained unstable.
Late Work & Final Years (1650s–1669)
In his later years, Rembrandt’s style became even more introspective and expressive. His brushwork grew looser and more textural, and his portraits—especially his self-portraits—reveal a profound awareness of aging, loss, and resilience.
He outlived both his son Titus and his later companion Hendrickje Stoffels, experiencing further personal hardship. Yet he continued to work, creating some of his most powerful paintings and prints during this period.
Rembrandt died in Amsterdam on 4 October 1669. He was buried in an unmarked grave in the Westerkerk, but his artistic legacy has secured him a lasting place in the history of art.
Rembrandt in the Dutch Golden Age
Rembrandt lived during the Dutch Golden Age, a time of economic prosperity, global trade, and cultural flowering in the Netherlands. Patronage came not only from the church and aristocracy but also from a growing middle class of merchants and officials. In this environment, Rembrandt developed an art that spoke both to individual patrons and to broader human concerns—identity, faith, doubt, and mortality.