Selected Masterpieces & Key Works
Perhaps Rembrandt’s most famous painting, The Night Watch is a large group portrait of a civic militia company in Amsterdam. Unlike traditional static group portraits, the figures appear in motion: marching, turning, talking, and reacting to one another.
The dramatic lighting, complex composition, and sense of narrative make it a landmark of Baroque art.
This early masterpiece depicts a public anatomy lesson, with Dr. Tulp demonstrating the muscles of an arm to a group of surgeons. Rembrandt arranges the men in a dynamic arc, emphasizing individual reactions and curiosity.
The painting showcases his skill in group composition, portrait likeness, and dramatic illumination.
The Jewish Bride portrays a couple in a moment of quiet intimacy, often interpreted as an image of marital love and tenderness. The richly textured paint, especially in the clothing, reveals Rembrandt’s late style at its most sumptuous.
In this painting, Rembrandt depicts Bathsheba as she contemplates the letter from King David. Rather than focusing on idealized beauty, he emphasizes her psychological burden, presenting a deeply human response to moral conflict.
Over the course of his career, Rembrandt created more than 80 self-portraits in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Together, they form one of the most extensive visual records of a single artist’s life:
These works not only document his changing appearance, but also chart his evolving style and his lifelong fascination with human identity.
In addition to painting, Rembrandt produced hundreds of prints and drawings, including:
His prints spread his fame across Europe during his lifetime and remain highly valued both artistically and historically.