Rembrandt – Danaë

Danaë is Rembrandt’s great female nude, finished in 1636 and heavily reworked by 1643: Danaë, the princess of Greek myth, lies naked on a bed with white pillows and raises her hand towards the light coming from the left, while an old maidservant watches from behind the curtain. The original, oil on canvas, 185 cm high and 202.5 cm wide, is in the Hermitage in St Petersburg. We paint it by hand in oil on canvas in 8 sizes, from 50 x 45 to 190 x 175 cm, or to your own measurement, and show it to you in a photograph before dispatch.

Danaë – Rembrandt

What does Danaë show?

A young woman lies life-size on a bed with white pillows and sheets, propped on her elbow. With her right hand, a bracelet at the wrist, she gestures to the left, where warm golden light falls into the room, and she looks the same way. She wears nothing but jewels in her hair and on her arms; a white cloth falls over her legs.

The scene is framed by red and brown curtains with gold tassels. At the top left an old maidservant draws back the curtain and looks out, and above the bed sits a carved gold cupid with a sad face. Slippers lie on the floor in front of the bed, and on the right stands a small table with a red cloth.

Why is this painting so well known?

Because it is one of the largest and finest nudes Rembrandt painted, and because the mystery it holds is not fully solved. X-rays showed that he finished it in 1636 and changed it greatly some years later, moving the head, the outstretched arm and the legs. According to Wikipedia, the first model was his wife Saskia, and he later changed the face to that of another woman.

The second reason is an attack. On 15 June 1985 a man threw sulphuric acid at the painting in the Hermitage and slashed it twice with a knife; Danaë’s face and body were the worst damaged. The Hermitage’s restorers began saving it that same day and worked on it until 1997.

What does the painting mean?

Danaë comes from Greek mythology. Her father, a king, shut her away because an oracle had told him that his grandson would kill him. Zeus came to her as a shower of gold, and she conceived Perseus. Rembrandt does not paint the rain: in its place is the light falling on the bed, and Danaë greets it with a raised hand.

So the painting is not only a nude but a moment of waiting. The cupid above the bed, who seems to be weeping, and the maid looking out tell us that something is happening outside the painting. It is a canvas painting about love and fate that may have been hard to sell because of its size. There is more on its history in the Wikipedia article on the painting.

Where is the original today?

In the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, where its inventory number is ГЭ-723. Before that it belonged to the Paris collector Pierre Crozat, and it has been in the Hermitage since the eighteenth century.

The canvas was later cut down considerably, so it is smaller today than it was at first. It carries a hard-to-read signature with a date ending in 6, but scholars are not sure that it is genuine.

Rembrandt’s Danaë or Klimt’s – which should you choose?

Almost three centuries later Gustav Klimt painted a Danaë too, and we paint his as well: Klimt’s Danaë is curled into a circle, full of gold and pattern, while Rembrandt’s is a large, warm scene in a curtained room in which the light plays the leading part. If you like Rembrandt’s female nude, look also at Bathsheba at Her Bath, which is more thoughtful and quieter.

For a couple or a bedroom, The Jewish Bride also suits, and for a large wall without a nude, The Night Watch. All the famous Rembrandt paintings we make are on the Rembrandt page.

How is our hand-painted Danaë made?

Our painter paints this oil painting reproduction by hand, with brushes on canvas. First comes the drawing of the reclining figure, the bed and the curtains, with the proportions checked against the original, because the body has to lie softly and naturally. Then the dark red and brown curtains and the gilded bed are painted in layers.

Skin and white pillows come last, in thin, warm layers, so that they take on the glow the original has where the light falls on it. Our Rembrandt reproduction therefore has real layers of paint and brushstrokes; a print would have only a flat, smooth surface.

Which size for which wall?

Short answer: 50 x 45 or 60 x 54 cm for a smaller wall, a dressing room or a bathroom, 70 x 62 or 90 x 80 cm above a chest of drawers or the bed in a smaller bedroom, 115 x 100 or 130 x 115 cm above a double bed or a sofa, and 150 x 134 and 190 x 175 cm for a large wall.

There are 8 sizes (width x height): 50 x 45, 60 x 54, 70 x 62, 90 x 80, 115 x 100, 130 x 115, 150 x 134 and 190 x 175 cm. The original is 202.5 cm wide and 185 cm high; the nearest is our largest size, 190 x 175 cm, which is 12.5 cm narrower and 10 cm lower. As a painting for the living room or the bedroom, 115 x 100 or 130 x 115 cm is the most practical.

Above a bed, put the bottom edge 20 to 30 cm above the headboard; on an open wall, hang it with its centre about 150 cm above the floor.

What if I need a custom size or a frame?

We paint Danaë in other sizes too; because the painting is almost square, sizes close to the proportions of the original work best. Send us the width and height you want and we will give you a price and a lead time.

You receive the painting rolled, stretched on a wooden stretcher bar or framed; the stretching and framing are done in our workshop in Slovenia. You choose the frame in the 3D application, which is meant only for choosing the frame; seeing the painting on your own wall is another service. A gold baroque moulding goes with the gilded bed and the cupid, while a narrow dark one calms the rich colours of the curtains.

How does delivery work, and what is the guarantee?

Danaë is painted once you order, so expect 15 to 45 working days. We send it across the EU with no customs, well protected. Before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting, and if you would like anything changed, we do it; our returns policy applies to every order.

If the painting is a present and you do not know the size, choose a wall art voucher.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the original of Rembrandt’s Danaë?

In the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, inventory number ГЭ-723. It has been in the museum since the eighteenth century; before that it was in the collection of Pierre Crozat in Paris.

Who was Danaë?

A princess of Greek mythology whom her father locked away; Zeus came to her as a shower of gold, and the hero Perseus was born. Instead of the rain, Rembrandt paints the light towards which she raises her hand.

Is it the same painting as Klimt’s Danaë?

No. Klimt’s Danaë was painted almost three centuries later and is a round, golden composition; Rembrandt’s is a large scene in a curtained room. We paint both, but they are different paintings.

What happened to the painting in 1985?

A man doused it with sulphuric acid in the Hermitage and slashed it twice with a knife. The museum’s restorers worked on it until 1997.

Is your Danaë a print?

No. It is a hand-painted copy in oil on canvas that a painter makes for you, with real brushstrokes and layers of paint.

How big is the original?

It is 185 cm high and 202.5 cm wide, and Danaë is almost life-size on it. Our largest size is 190 x 175 cm.

Is the painting suitable for a bedroom?

Yes, the scene takes place beside a bed and Rembrandt painted it in warm, soft colours. Above a double bed, choose 115 x 100 or 130 x 115 cm.

Does it make a good gift?

For a partner, or for a lover of classical painting who likes nudes, yes. Because it is a nude, it is best if the recipient knows the subject; otherwise give a wall art voucher.

• Subject: Danaë, the princess of Greek myth, lies naked on the bed and raises her hand towards the golden light, while a maid watches from behind the curtain.
• Original: 1636, reworked by 1643, oil on canvas, 185 x 202.5 cm, State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
• Ours: hand-painted in oil on canvas, in 8 sizes from 50 x 45 to 190 x 175 cm or made to measure.
• Worth knowing: in 1985 the painting was attacked with acid and a knife; the restoration took 12 years.