Rembrandt Timeline

After a brief but important apprenticeship of six months with the history painter Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam, Rembrandt stayed a few months with Jacob Pynas in 1625 before starting his own workshop. Lastman's influence was most prominent during Rembrandt's Leiden period from 1625 to 1631.

In 1625, Rembrandt opened a studio in Leiden, which he shared with friend and colleague Jan Lievens, beginning his independent artistic career.

In 1626 Rembrandt produced his first etchings, the wide dissemination of which would largely account for his international fame.

In 1627, Rembrandt began to accept students, among them Gerrit Dou and Isaac de Jouderville.

Joan Huydecoper is mentioned as the first buyer of a Rembrandt painting in 1628, marking early recognition of his talent in the art market.

In 1629, Rembrandt was discovered by the statesman Constantijn Huygens, who procured for Rembrandt important commissions from the court of The Hague. That year he also completed Judas Repentant, Returning the Pieces of Silver and The Artist in His Studio, works evidencing his interest in handling light.

Image source: Constantijn Huygens

During his early years in Amsterdam (1632–1636), Rembrandt began to paint dramatic biblical and mythological scenes in high contrast and large format, such as The Blinding of Samson (1636) and Belshazzar's Feast, seeking to emulate the baroque style of Rubens. He also painted numerous portrait commissions including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp (1632).

Image source: The Blinding of Samson

'Rembrandt' is a modification of the spelling of the artist's first name that he introduced in 1633, adding a 'd' to 'Rembrant' and maintaining this form consistently from then on.

Rembrandt painted The Militia Company of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq, known as The Night Watch, between 1640 and 1642, and it became his most famous work. It was the most substantial of the important group portrait commissions he received in this period.

Image source: The Night Watch

In his last years, Rembrandt painted his most deeply reflective self-portraits (fifteen from 1652 to 1669), and several moving images of men and women (The Jewish Bride, c. 1666)—in love, in life, and before God. Works like Self-Portrait at the Age of 63 and The Return of the Prodigal Son date from 1669.

Image source: Self-portraits by Rembrandt

In 1654 Rembrandt painted a nude Bathsheba at Her Bath, one of his most celebrated works. His illegitimate child Cornelia (1654–1684), with Hendrickje Stoffels, was also born that year.

Image source: Bathsheba at Her Bath (Rembrandt)

In 1660, Rembrandt finished Ahasuerus and Haman at the feast of Esther, which he sold to Jan J. In early December 1660, the sale of his house was finalised but the proceeds went directly to Titus's guardian.

Image source: Ahasuerus and Haman at the Feast of Esther

In 1661, Rembrandt and his circle secured a contract for a major project at the newly completed town hall of Amsterdam, producing The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis (c. 1661–1662).

Image source: The Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis

Despite financial setbacks, Rembrandt continued to receive significant portrait commissions and completed notable works, such as the Sampling Officials in 1662. In later years biblical emphasis shifted to intimate portrait-like figures, such as James the Apostle (1661).

Image source: Syndics of the Drapers' Guild

From September to October 1898 the Rembrandt Tentoonstelling (Rembrandt Exhibition) was held at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam, followed in January–February 1899 by a related exhibition at the Royal Academy in London.

Image source: Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam

From 15 October 2014 to 18 January 2015, Rembrandt: The Late Works was held at The National Gallery, London, followed by the closely related Late Rembrandt exhibition at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam from February to May 2015.

Image source: National Gallery

From 10 August to 1 November 2020, Young Rembrandt was shown at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, focusing on the artist's early years in Leiden.

Image source: Ashmolean Museum

In 1968, the Rembrandt Research Project began under the sponsorship of the Netherlands Organisation for the Advancement of Scientific Research; it was initially expected to last a highly optimistic ten years but continued far longer, reshaping attribution scholarship.

In 2005 four oil paintings previously attributed to Rembrandt's students were reclassified as the work of Rembrandt himself: Study of an Old Man in Profile, Study of an Old Man with a Beard, Study of a Weeping Woman, and Portrait of an Elderly Woman in a White Bonnet, painted in 1640.

Image source: Rembrandt Research Project