Send us a text In a previous podcast, I ended with the problems surrounding the acceptance of Rembrandt’s inheritance which concerned various people. Here, I’ll provide some background information on these people. This podcast is a counterpart to podcast RM24022 which dealt with the last ten years of Rembrandt as a professional artist. Now, the subject is the last years of his private life. 1. Idea, research, author, and narration: Bob Wessels: linkedin.com/in/bobwe...

Send us a text At least five women played a role in Rembrandt's life and he had a love affair with three of them. First, with Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642), whom he married. Second, after Saskia's death, with Geertje Dircx (approx. 1610-1656) who was nanny to his son Titus. This relationship soon floundered and Rembrandt's role in the acrimonious ending of their relationship was not one of his finest moments, to say the least. The third object of his affection was his final life partner ...

Send us a text Introduction From 1631 onwards, Rembrandt (1606-1669) led a turbulent life in Amsterdam that would span a period of thirty years. He reached the top of his professional field, producing many portraits and of course the famous Night Watch in 1642. But by the 1650s, he was facing financial problems. He and his life companion Hendrickje Stoffels were forced to leave the large house and studio in the Jodenbreestraat. Rembrandt would continue living and working in a much smaller ho...

Send us a text In this episode I will discuss these self-portraits and more specifically Rembrandt’s impressive self-portrait of 1658. Rembrandt was 52 years old when he painted it. For over 100 years, it has hung in New York’s Frick Collection. Why did Henry Clay Frick buy it and what did he think of this portrait? What are the features of self-portraits and where do ‘tronies’ fit in? How is this type of portrait interpreted today? What do you notice just by taking a closer look at the...

Send us a text One of the reasons I decided to study Rembrandt, the artist-entrepreneur, was that I learnt he had gone ‘bankrupt’ in 1656. This would have brought him into contact with the legal system that existed at that time. During my research, I also discovered that he was a rather stubborn man who had got himeself into trouble a number of times. This all transpired when he was working as a professional artist in a period spanning four decades in the 17th century. I was keen to learn...

Send us a text Without a doubt, the beautiful work The Night Watch is Rembrandt’s most striking painting. That’s why I’ve dedicated two podcasts to the painting. This second one is RM24019, The Night Watch – The Icon Painting. Where was this enormous painting made, why are some people in the foreground and others in the background? I’ll tell you the whole story. Enjoy. 1. Idea, research, author, and narration: Bob Wessels: linkedin.com/in/bobwessels 2. Artwork...

Send us a text If I say ‘The Night Watch’, most Dutch people can immediately conjure up an image of this famous painting. What’s more – they think about it with not only a sense of admiration, but also national pride. As I said in earlier podcasts of this series, citing the words of sociologist Paul Schnabel: ‘It has become our national icon and the whole world comes to see it.’ His most famous painting holds the most prominent position in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the literature on ne...

Send us a text Query In my podcast RM24011 about Rembrandt’s insolvency, I also discussed which assets where incuded in the well-known inventory-list. It was made up during a two-day period, on 25 and 26 July 1656, by Frans Bruijningh, the secretary of the Chamber of Abandoned and Insolvent Estates. On today’s terms one could sat the insolvency court. In that podcast I also tossed some queries why certain assets seemed to be missing. This drew the attention of Desmond Healy, an artist-...

Send us a text Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, VOC) Between 1568 and 1648 the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic were at war with Spain. In 1621, a Twelve Years’ Truce ended without the need to extend it. Hostilities between the Republic and Spain resumed. During that period, international trade continued to flourish. The Dutch commercial companies at that time were the largest commercial private companies or multinationals around the globe, in particular the Du...

Send us a text Welcome, or welcome back again! The other day I told you that Rembrandt’s main sources of income were three of a kind: (i) commissions (assignments) for paintings, (ii) selling etches, and (ii) fees for teaching students. See the related podcast Rembrandts Money (available via www.rembrandtsmoney.com, under podcast 24014, ‘Studying with Rembrandt’). In that podcast, I gave some data on how many pupils Rembrandt apprenticed during his over 40 years of act...

Send us a text Welcome, or welcome back again. Today it is literally about Rembrandt's money. Rembrandt had three main sources of income: commissions for paintings, selling etches and receiving fees from teaching pupils. We are most familiar with his paintings and etches, commissioned by patrons or produced for the commercial market, or just simply for private use. Much less is known about Rembrandt’s pupils and how he taught them. In this episode of the podcast ‘Rembrandts Money’ (availab...

Send us a text In my podcast on this subject, I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Maurits den Hollander. In the blog-text accompanying the podcast we decided to post a short summary of our discussion at the end of the text below. This is my description of the fascinating history of the birth of Amsterdam as a city, based on the specific rights it received in the 12th and 13th century. As an introduction, Maurits den Hollander is a historian who specializes in legal and in...

Send us a text In my podcast on this subject, I had an interesting conversation with Dr. Maurits den Hollander. As an introduction, Maurits den Hollander is a historian who specializes in legal and institutional developments in the late medieval and early modern period (around 1300 – 1700). Throughout his work, Maurits strives to embed legal developments into their broader social, economic, and cultural context, taking into regard both local, regional and global dimensions. In 2021, he defend...

Send us a text Welcome, or welcome back again. When I tell people that Rembrandt, the famous Dutch painter, went bankrupt, half of them just didn't know. The other half had sometimes, some only vaguely, heard of it. Most people would like to know a lot more about it. Well, the this podcast caters to their needs. This happens in two ways. By telling the story, in short and summarized, in about twenty minutes mentioning my most important findings. And by writin...

Send us a text Welcome or welcome back again! Rembrandt was 32 and Saskia 26 when they purchased a large house and premises in the Breestreet in Amsterdam. The contract dates from 1639. The house formed a part of their marital community of property. Seventeen years later, in 1656, Rembrandt transferred the house to his son Titus. Until 2019, it was assumed that Rembrandt indeed transferred ownership of the house to Titus and by doing so, he harmed the interests of his credi...

Send us a text This we didn't know until the 1960s: Rembrandt had a relationship with his housekeeper and caretaker of his son Titus. Her name was Geertje Dircx and she was about four years younger than Rembrandt. It was shortly after Saskia's death. Geertje Dircks became Titus' caretaker in 1642. Rembrandt began a relationship with her. Later, this relationship became a thorny path full of legal disputes. That lasted until the mid-1650s. Geertje is listed as one of Rembrandt's creditors. 1...

Send us a text Welcome, or welcome again. In this episode of Rembrandt's Money, I'll tell you about the house Rembrandt purchased in 1639. Spoiler alert: You can visit that house now: In this Rembrandt House Museum you can follow Rembrandt's life with new exhibitions every time. But, before you go... In this podcast I’ll tell you everything you need to know about this house itself: the age, the neighbours at that time and... the big point of contention among experts: did Rembrandt pay t...

Send us a text Welcome, or welcome back again! This time I will be taking you back to swirly Amsterdam in the first half of the 17th century and its mixed population. Migration is is deeply anchored in Amsterdam's DNA. Since the 16th century, many thousands of newcomers have settled there every year, whether refugees of faith, or persons in search of a better life. And this migration is the driving force behind the enormous diversity, that still characterizes Amsterdam today. How did Re...

Send us a text Rembrandt married Saskia Uylenburgh in 1634. The marriage must have been the talk of the town. The great painter Rembrandt and Saskia, daughter of a former mayor of Leeuwarden and a high-ranking senior administrator in the province of Friesland – their union must have received a lot of attention. But there were no newspapers in those days. So, what do we know about the marriage? 1. Idea, research, author, and narration: Bob Wessels: linkedin.com/in/bo...

Send us a text Around 1630, Rembrandt worked in his first Amsterdam years with art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh. Hendrick’s network had a significant impact on Rembrandt. Rembrandt painted between 1631 and 1634 at least fifty portraits. At the same time, Rembrandt experienced his first artistic breakthrough in 1632 with 'The anatomical lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp'. Two years later, in 1634, he was commissioned to immortalize the wealthy high society couple Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppi...