Rembrandt – Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer is a painting by Rembrandt from 1653: the Greek philosopher, in a broad black hat and full white sleeves, rests his right hand on the marble bust of the poet Homer, while a heavy gold chain hangs across his chest. The original, oil on canvas, is 143.5 cm high and 136.5 cm wide and belongs to The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 8 sizes, from 43 x 47 to 190 x 200 cm, or to your own measurement, and show it to you in a photograph before dispatch.

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer – Rembrandt

What does Aristotle with a Bust of Homer show?

A long-bearded man stands in a dark room, turned slightly to the left. He wears a broad black hat and, over a black robe, a white shirt with full, pale, gathered sleeves. His right hand rests on the head of a white stone bust that stands on a table with a red cloth; his left is hooked into a gold chain that hangs from his shoulder to his hip. A pendant with a small portrait hangs from the chain.

The light falls from the left and settles in three places: on the philosopher’s thoughtful face, on the sleeves and on the bust. Everything else is in brown shadow, and only on the left can you make out a stack of books in the half-dark. The philosopher does not look at us but past the bust, as if he were thinking about something we cannot see.

Why is this painting so well known?

First because of how it came about. The Sicilian nobleman Don Antonio Ruffo of Messina ordered it from Rembrandt without naming a subject; Rembrandt chose the philosopher beside the poet’s bust. About ten years later he painted Homer and Alexander the Great for the same patron, so the three men the painting connects ended up in one collection.

Then because of its purchase. The Metropolitan Museum bought it in 1961 for $2.3 million, at the time the highest sum ever paid for a painting. That is why even people with no particular interest in Rembrandt knew this canvas painting.

What does the painting mean?

Aristotle wrote on Homer and taught Alexander the Great, and the chain is usually read as Alexander’s gift. So the philosopher has one hand on the likeness of the poet and the other on a sign of honour and wealth. Many people see a question in this: which weighs more, fame and money, or the mind and art of a blind poet who owned nothing?

Rembrandt does not write the answer down. That silence is the reason so many readings have been written about the painting: whether it is really Aristotle or someone else, and whether Rembrandt was also thinking about himself and about portrait painting. The Wikipedia article on the painting gives an overview.

Where is the original today, and who owned it?

The original is in The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York under accession number 61.198 and is on view in gallery 616. The museum bought it in 1961 with special contributions and funds given or bequeathed by friends of the museum.

Before that the painting had travelled a long way from Messina. In 1815 it belonged to the English collector Sir Abraham Hume, who lent it to an exhibition in London; his heirs sold it to the Paris collector Rodolphe Kann, and after his death it passed to American collectors. In 2013 the museum gave it back the title Aristotle with a Bust of Homer; before that it was known as Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer.

Aristotle or another Rembrandt – which should you choose?

Aristotle is a painting of one figure and one question, which makes it right for a study, a library or a quiet living room. If you want more people and movement, there is The Night Watch. The couple in The Jewish Bride, painted about a decade later, is more intimate still. A great story of forgiveness is The Return of the Prodigal Son, and a female nude from the same years is Bathsheba at Her Bath, painted a year later.

You will find the other famous Rembrandt paintings we paint on our Rembrandt page.

How is our hand-painted Aristotle made?

Each one is painted by hand by one of our painters, with brushes and oil colours on canvas. First they set out the outline of the philosopher, the hat and the bust and check it against the original; then they build up the dark, warm background in several layers, since here it covers most of the canvas. Only once it has dried do they move on to the clothes.

The white sleeves are the hardest part: the folds have to be light and soft without losing the weight of the cloth. Last come the face, the hand on the bust and the gold chain, whose links catch the light. The result is an oil painting reproduction with layers of paint you can see and feel; it is not a print and has no flat, smooth surface.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 43 x 47 or 60 x 60 cm for a narrow wall, a hallway or above a desk, 70 x 70 or 80 x 80 cm above a chest of drawers or beside a bookcase, 98 x 104 or 130 x 130 cm above a sofa, and 150 x 150 and 190 x 200 cm for a large wall, a library or an office.

There are 8 sizes (width x height): 43 x 47, 60 x 60, 70 x 70, 80 x 80, 98 x 104, 130 x 130, 150 x 150 and 190 x 200 cm. The original is 136.5 cm wide and 143.5 cm high; our nearest size is 130 x 130 cm, which is 6.5 cm narrower and 13.5 cm lower. Because the painting is almost square, it also works on walls where an upright or a wide format would not fit.

As a painting for the living room it should be at least half as wide as the sofa below it, so above a 2 m sofa choose 98 x 104 or 130 x 130 cm. Put the centre of the canvas about 150 cm above the floor, so that the philosopher’s face is at your eye level.

What if I need a custom size or a frame?

If you need a different size, we paint it in the width and height you choose. Tell us the dimensions you want and we will send you a price and a lead time.

We send it rolled, stretched on a wooden stretcher bar or framed, as you prefer, and the stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. Try the frame profiles in our 3D application, which is only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is a different, separate service. A gold moulding repeats the gold chain and the warm tone of the background, while a narrow black one makes the white of the sleeves stand out more.

How does delivery work, and what is the guarantee?

We start painting your Aristotle when you place the order, so expect delivery in 15 to 45 working days. We ship across the EU with no customs. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and if anything is not as you want it, we put it right; our returns policy applies to every order.

For someone who loves books and philosophy, a wall art voucher also makes a good present if you do not yet know the size.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original Aristotle with a Bust of Homer?

In The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, accession number 61.198. The museum bought it in 1961 and shows it in gallery 616.

Who is the man in the painting?

In the most widely held reading, the Greek philosopher Aristotle, touching the bust of the poet Homer; the gold chain is taken to be a gift from his pupil Alexander the Great. Because the patron did not set a subject, some scholars have seen other people in the figure, such as the painter Apelles.

Who commissioned the painting?

The Sicilian nobleman Don Antonio Ruffo of Messina, who did not name a subject. Rembrandt later painted Homer and Alexander the Great for him as well.

Is your Aristotle a print?

No. It is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas that a painter makes for you. A print has neither the layers of paint nor the brushstrokes you see on our painting.

How much did the original cost?

The Metropolitan Museum bought it in 1961 for $2.3 million, at the time the highest price ever paid for a painting. Today it is not for sale.

How big is the original?

It is 143.5 cm high and 136.5 cm wide, so almost square. Our nearest size is 130 x 130 cm; we offer sizes from 43 x 47 to 190 x 200 cm.

Which size suits a study or a library?

Above a desk or beside a shelf, 70 x 70 or 80 x 80 cm is enough; on a free library wall choose 130 x 130 cm, where the philosopher appears almost life-size. For a narrow wall between two windows, choose 43 x 47 cm.

Does it make a good gift?

Yes, especially for people who like to read, teach or write, since it shows a thinker in front of the likeness of a poet. If you are unsure of the size, choose the wall art voucher.

• Subject: the philosopher Aristotle in a black hat and white sleeves, his hand on the bust of Homer and a gold chain over his shoulder.
• Original: 1653, oil on canvas, 143.5 x 136.5 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
• Ours: a Rembrandt reproduction painted by hand in oil on canvas, in 8 sizes from 43 x 47 to 190 x 200 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: in 1961 it was the most expensive painting ever sold.