Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) was a Dutch painter and the most famous master of the Dutch Golden Age. You recognise his paintings by the light that comes out of the dark and falls on faces, hands and the heart of the story. Rembrandt’s works are among our hand-painted Rembrandt reproductions on canvas.
We paint every Rembrandt painting by hand, in oil on canvas, to order and in the size you choose, and before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
The most sought-after Rembrandt paintings
Life: from Leiden to Amsterdam
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on 15 July 1606 in Leiden, the son of a miller. After his apprenticeship he painted small, precise paintings on panel in his home town, and around 1631 he moved to Amsterdam, where he quickly became a sought-after portrait painter. In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenburgh, who died in 1642, the year he finished The Night Watch. Despite his great success he went bankrupt in 1656, and his collection was inventoried and sold. He died in Amsterdam on 4 October 1669.
Style: light out of the dark
Rembrandt used light like a stage. He leaves most of the canvas in a warm half-darkness and gathers the light on what matters in the story – a face, the hands or the child in the manger. This is called chiaroscuro. In his late years he painted ever more broadly, with thick paint and ever more personally, as his self-portraits show. He painted himself more than forty times. He rarely wrote about his work; in a letter to Constantijn Huygens in 1639 he advised hanging a painting in a strong light so that it would sparkle best.
His most famous works
Rembrandt’s most famous painting is The Night Watch (1642) in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where The Jewish Bride also hangs. The Mauritshuis in The Hague has The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg The Return of the Prodigal Son, and the National Gallery in London the Self-Portrait at the Age of 63 from the year of his death. To compare him with other great names, read our overview of the most famous paintings in the world.
Frequently asked questions about Rembrandt
Who was Rembrandt?
A Dutch painter, draughtsman and printmaker (1606–1669), the greatest name of the Dutch Golden Age. He left some 300 paintings and many drawings and etchings.
What did Rembrandt paint?
Biblical scenes, portraits, group portraits such as The Night Watch and The Anatomy Lesson, rare landscapes and many self-portraits.
Where are Rembrandt’s originals?
Most are in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the Mauritshuis in The Hague; major works are also in the Hermitage, the National Gallery in London, the Louvre and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
Can I buy a hand-painted reproduction of a Rembrandt painting?
Yes, our online gallery has hand-painted reproductions of Rembrandt paintings on canvas in the size you choose. Before delivery you receive a photograph of the painting for approval, and we send it only once you approve it.
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