Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn is considered a giant in the history of art. The Dutch artist was one of Holland’s most versatile and skilled painters. Rembrandt was an extraordinary painter who was best known for his portraits and his portrayals of biblical and historical narratives, which he contributed to the Dutch Golden Age. If you are interested in discovering more about this exceptional artist, continue reading to unveil our selection of the top 10 most famous Rembrandt paintings as we revisit his masterpieces from the 17th century!
Table of Contents
- 1 Who Was Rembrandt?
- 2 Our Top 10 Most Famous Rembrandt Paintings
- 2.1 The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp (1632)
- 2.2 The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633)
- 2.3 Belshazzar’s Feast (c. 1635 – 1638)
- 2.4 Danaë (1636)
- 2.5 The Night Watch (1642)
- 2.6 Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654)
- 2.7 The Return of the Prodigal Son (c. 1661 – 1669)
- 2.8 Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild (1662)
- 2.9 Self-Portrait with Two Circles (c. 1665 – 1669)
- 2.10 The Jewish Bride (c. 1665 – 1669)
- 3 Frequently Asked Questions
Who Was Rembrandt?
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s life spanned from 1606 to 1669 and within those years he created a bountiful collection of tremendous artworks. Not only is he considered one of Holland’s most esteemed artists from the Dutch Golden Age, but he is widely understood as one of the most significant painters in European history.
Rembrandt art was characterized by its splendid color, its luxuriant brushwork, and its brilliant utilization of light and shadow; the combination of these elements contributed to the renowned Rembrandt painting style as we know it today.
Rembrandt art spanned several genres. In his prolific career, he is most famous for his portraits, and his historical and biblical scenes. He was celebrated for capturing the nuances of human expression, which aided his ability to accurately portray his subjects’ moods in his artwork.
Rembrandt portraits included group portraiture, which was wildly popular in the Netherlands during that time. The contribution of Rembrandt art has given us some of the greatest group portraits in history. On top of that, Rembrandt portraits were largely made up of self-portraits. Where he successfully documented his aging from early on in his career to his later years.
With Rembrandt portraits, he mastered the skill of capturing both an accurate likeness of his subject, including himself as he was known to not show any mercy with his depictions, and the particular expression of the subject at that moment.
Rembrandt’s paintings demonstrated his profound psychological understanding of people and their surroundings, as well as his devotion to his Christian faith. These factors fueled his life and his incredible work.
Rembrandt used a variety of techniques and materials with spontaneity and sensitivity to develop his pieces, each with its own message. His masterful approaches to shadow, color, and composition created art that was powerfully moving, yet demonstrated the most natural instances of the human experience. He captured the emotional depth and engaged the viewer in his pieces. This cemented his status as one of Europe’s greatest artists in history.
Our Top 10 Most Famous Rembrandt Paintings
Famous Rembrandt paintings are admired for their remarkably realistic depictions of the complexities of human emotion with all of its nuances. Rembrandt’s paintings make up a collection of over 300 pieces of artwork; many of them influenced artists that followed, with his signature Rembrandt painting style. Rembrandt art is well-known and after much consideration, we have put together a selection of the most famous Rembrandt paintings.
Below, you will find our list of the top 10 most iconic paintings from the brilliant Rembrandt van Rijn.
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp (1632)
| Date Painted | 1632 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 216.5 cm x 169.5 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Mauritshuis, The Hague, Netherlands |
The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp is considered one of Rembrandt’s early triumphs. Rembrandt was only 26 years old when he painted this masterpiece and he only had four portraits to his name. The painting depicts the Dutch surgeon Dr. Nicholaes Tulp giving the annual public anatomy lesson to seven surgeons on the body of Aris Kindt, a criminal who was executed.
The artwork was commissioned by the Amsterdam Guild of Surgeons for their board room. Today it sits in the Mauritshuis art museum.
Rembrandt’s masterfully composed piece captures Dr. Tulp illustrating to his students how the muscles in the arm are connected. Rembrandt created dynamics in the scene by using contrast, through the use of dark and light, which became a popular style for him and featured quite heavily in his future artworks. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp was Rembrandt’s first significant commission.
Rembrandt broke tradition by depicting a visually dramatic scene and positioning the corpse in the middle of the painting. The composition of the piece is pyramid-shaped, with Dr. Tulp commanding the right side of the portrait. The harmony of the painting is exceptionally well-planned with the proportions and positioning of the corpse, directing your eyes to the middle of the painting.
The colors of this piece are limited to prevent distraction, the painting only plays with the contrast of dark and light, apart from the corpse’s bloodied arm.
This type of painting, the group portrait, became part of the Dutch legacy. The long-established and unique tradition honored and documented the members of organizations or guilds. Rembrandt received great acclaim for this portrait. The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicholaes Tulp is probably one of Rembrandt’s most recognizable paintings. It has been referenced, copied, and plagiarized many times.
The Storm on the Sea of Galilee (1633)
| Date Painted | 1633 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 160 cm x 128 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Unknown since 1990 |
The magnificent painting, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee holds its place as Rembrandt’s only depiction of a seascape, and it remains as a bit of a mystery in the art world. The painting was formerly housed in Boston, U.S., at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, but in 1990 the painting was stolen and is still missing to this day. The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is a portrayal of the biblical narrative where Jesus calms the storm on the Sea of Galilee.
If you pay attention to the dark, frothing, ferocious waves that terrorize the small boat; you will pick up on the influence of Peter Paul Rubens’, the most prominent artist from the Flemish Baroque period.
The painting’s composition is divided into two triangles from the diagonal position of the boat’s mast. In the triangle on the left, the golden light illuminates the dark cloud and the edges of the waves, and it highlights the dramatic scene. In the triangle on the right amid the stirring commotion, there is a figure dressed in blue that looks directly at the viewer.
The figure in blue is the only one directly engaging with the viewer and he shares the features of the artist himself. Rembrandt often painted himself into his art. He invited the viewer to share the emotional experience of his art. Rather than passively witnessing the paintings, Rembrandt urged the viewer to become involved in the turbulent scene. Rembrandt’s depiction of The Storm on the Sea of Galilee is magnificently detailed and consuming.
The varied expressions of the figures, rich colors, and polished brushwork characterize his earlier style.
The painting has had numerous features in popular culture. From being featured in episodes of well-known fictional television shows such as The Blacklist or Sneaky Pete to being used as the cover of notable books such as Peter L. Bernstein’s classic, Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk, Rembrandt’s paintings continue to be celebrated and remain influential in popular culture. Unfortunately, this incredible work of art remains missing to this day.
Belshazzar’s Feast (c. 1635 – 1638)
| Date Painted | c. 1635 – 1638 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 167.6 cm x 209.2 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | National Gallery, London, United Kingdom |
The exact date of Belshazzar’s Feast is unknown, but many sources place it between 1635 and 1638. Belshazzar’s Feast represents Rembrandt’s effort to establish himself as an artist who painted large, Baroque history paintings. The painting depicts the story of Belshazzar from the Old Testament. Rembrandt depicts the banquet where Belshazzar blasphemously distributed wine in the sanctified vessels that Nebuchadnezzar, his father, had looted from the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Rembrandt painting style of this artwork is exceptional, and it does not compare to his other pieces of work. The color palette of Belshazzar’s Feast is remarkably rich, it encompasses intense pigments such as azurite, vermillion, ochres, and smalt. Rembrandt’s skillful use of light and shadow makes it seem as if the figures emerge and retreat into the dark shaded areas. Rembrandt’s scene is a depiction of action, surprise, and fear.
The compositional positioning of each figure, their dramatic expressions, and their recoiling poses involve the viewer in the scene.
Initially, Belshazzar’s Feast was not viewed as a triumph. The Earl of Derby from England was in possession of the painting from 1736 and it was scarcely known outside of England. In 1857, when it was presented in Manchester at the Art Treasures Exhibition it was not well received by critics.
This lack of admiration changed in the late 20th century when Rembrandt’s historical paintings were re-evaluated.
When the National Gallery acquired the painting in 1964 it soon became vastly popular, becoming a favorite for commercial products such as album covers when used as an illustration. Then in 2014, the image of Belshazzar’s Feast was the third most licensed in the National Gallery’s collection.
Danaë (1636)
| Date Painted | 1636 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 185 cm x 203 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia |
Danaë is considered one of the best nude paintings from Rembrandt’s collection. The painting is a portrayal of the princess Danaë, the mother of Perseus who was a hero in Greek mythology. The depiction is practically life-sized, and it shows Danaë welcoming Zeus, who impregnated her, as he appeared in the form of golden light. Danaë was first painted in 1636, but Rembrandt reworked it considerably in the 1640s.
The artwork was purchased by Catherine II of Russia in the 1770s and it continues to sit in the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg.
Danaë is lying in her bed naked. Instead of idealizing her figure, Rembrandt tried to capture the passion of her welcoming her lover. The figure was modeled after Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia, but he later altered the face of the figure to take after Geertje Dricx his mistress. Through Rembrandt’s extensive reworking he changed the placement of the figure’s head and outstretched legs and arms, among other things.
In 1985 the painting was vandalized, where it was cut twice with a knife and doused with sulfuric acid, but by 1997 it had been fully restored.
The golden light floods in from the left and creates this celestial illumination that showers over Danaë’s body. Rembrandt achieves sensuality and softness through his painting and although Danaë is the subject of this work, the golden light impactfully occupies the space and is at the crux of the story. The painting is considered one of Rembrandt’s most magnificent portrayals. There are not many mythological scenes in Rembrandt’s collection, but this one stands out. The tenderness of his depiction of this nude and his masterful portrayal of light make Danaë stand out as a spectacular work of art.
The Night Watch (1642)
| Date Painted | 1642 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 363 cm x 437 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
The Night Watch is considered one of the most notable paintings from the Dutch Golden Age and Rembrandt’s most famous painting. Rembrandt’s painting is quite the spectacle; its sheer size puts it close to four meters tall. It goes by several other more official names that are significantly longer, including The Shooting Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch. It is no surprise that the apt name The Night Watch stuck and became its unofficial title.
Surprisingly, The Night Watch is not actually a depiction of a night scene, contrary to what was long believed. Around the mid-1940s when the painting was cleaned it was revealed that the scene was in fact set in daylight. When The Night Watch was relocated during the 18th century the painting was trimmed.
This led to a change in composition with the loss of some of the figures, making the two men, whose names make up the original title of the painting, as well as the woman in the background the central figures.
Rembrandt’s use of dramatic illumination is prominent, making the contrast between light and shadow pronounced, and his skillful perception of motion in the group portrait diverges from the typically static military portrait that was popular at the time. He chose to present the crowd of figures in a bustling scene and capture the military in motion, rather than presenting the group in a formal, stately pose.
The magnitude of the figures makes them appear life-size. It seems as if the 34 characters are moving toward the viewer.
The intensity of the painting comes from Rembrandt’s masterful use of light and shadow, the realistic and dynamic depiction is made all the more impactful because of the magnitude of the painting and its figures as if they are sharing the space with the viewer. Rembrandt was at the pinnacle of his career when he created The Night Watch. This ambitious feat proved to be another success and it is considered one of the most renowned paintings in group portraiture.
Bathsheba at Her Bath (1654)
| Date Painted | 1654 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 142 cm x 142 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | The Louvre, Paris, France |
Another life-sized canvas displays Rembrandt’s portrayal of the Biblical figure Bathsheba. The painting was completed in 1654 and it depicts a scene from the Old Testament, where King David catches sight of Bathsheba bathing and he proceeds to seduce her which leads to her falling pregnant. In Bathsheba at Her Bath, the nude itself was part of the subject of the painting, which was still relatively unusual at the time, especially when a non-idealized body was presented.
However, Rembrandt did not have a strict boundary between daily life and art.
Although this specific scene has been painted before, Rembrandt’s version brings a different perspective through its tight pictorial focus and his portrayal of erotic vitality. This was achieved by using vibrant and rich coloration and thick brushstrokes. The figure Bathsheba is in a shallow ambiguous space, her figure is being illuminated while leaving the background in obscure darkness. Her body has been delicately shadowed and she is adorned with fine jewelry and beautiful fabrics.
Rembrandt captures Bathsheba’s pensive deliberation as she holds a letter in her hand. King David had asked for her to appear before him and her expression discloses that although she is interested, she is concerned because going to King David would mean betraying her husband. The harmony of colors, with the cream, copper, and gold tones, provides a luminous setting.
The mellow contrast between light and shadow and the psychological complexity of the piece all aided in making the painting vastly popular, becoming a study of seductiveness and innocence.
Rembrandt’s depiction reveals an insight into the moral dilemma Bathsheba was facing, which has been described as an immense accomplishment of western painting. Bathsheba at Her Bathtub went on to inspire many works of art from 19th-and 20th-century artists, this includes artworks such as Frédéric Bazille’s La Toilette and Edgar Degas’ Woman Having Her Hair Combed. Rembrandt’s rendition of Bathsheba is another contender for the greatest nude of his collection.
The Return of the Prodigal Son (c. 1661 – 1669)
| Date Painted | c. 1661 – 1669 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 262 cm x 205 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia |
Among the last of Rembrandt’s paintings is The Return of the Prodigal Son. It is said that the painting was finished shortly prior to his death in 1669. The life-sized artwork is a portrayal of the Biblical story where the prodigal son returns to his father begging for forgiveness, regretting his past sins. The painting surpasses the work of other Baroque artists with its ability to evoke human sympathy and religious mood.
The viewer is able to witness the entirety of this painting and what it represents, the symbol of homecoming, the gloom of the human experience brightened by tenderness, and the sinful and weary actions of mankind that take refuge in God’s mercy.
The painting is hauntingly beautiful. It is admired by critics for its quiet and moving quality, depicting the tenderness of the relationship between father and son that shares their intimate bond with the viewer.
Many believe that the father’s expression displays multiple emotions at once, including love, mercy, and grief. The depth of emotion and complexity in the father figure’s facial expressions stand out in this painting. The Return of the Prodigal Son demonstrates Rembrandt’s immense talent as he used expressive coloring and lighting to evoke the story’s message of forgiveness.
The Return of the Prodigal Son remains as one of the sensations of the Hermitage Museum. Among the famous Rembrandt paintings, this one is considered one of his most moving pieces from its ability to capture the powerful bond between father and son.
Critics consider this incredible work of art as a tremendous accomplishment in Baroque art.
Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild (1662)
| Date Painted | 1662 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 191.5 cm x 279 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild is also known as The Sampling Officials. This painting has been described as Rembrandt’s last amazing collective portrait. This group portrait depicts the Amsterdam Drapers Guild syndics, apart from the man without a hat in the background who was a servant, who evaluated the quality of the weavers’ fabrics that were offered to guild members. The Amsterdam Drapers Guild commissioned the painting for their guildhall, which housed the painting until the 1770s. Now the painting can be found at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Rembrandt used incredible detail to capture the various facial expressions of the figures in the portrait, giving each individual their own personality.
He used compositional devices to give the portrait a powerful feeling of togetherness. The five officials have each been given equal importance in the painting which demonstrates Rembrandt’s skills. Their servant in the background falls in the center of the painting, yet the entirety of the piece manages to remain united through formal and psychological means.
The subtlety of the composition is achieved through Rembrandt’s expert exploitation of horizontals, which brilliantly unites the group.
The use of contrast, from the sharp white and black on the men’s uniforms, and the glowing colors, from the golden browns and rich red of the rug on the table, all aid in creating harmony across the painting. Rembrandt was a master at painting group portraiture and Syndics of the Drapers’ Guild is no exception. It is regarded highly and considered one of the most famous Rembrandt paintings in the genre.
Self-Portrait with Two Circles (c. 1665 – 1669)
| Date Painted | c. 1665 – 1669 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 114.3 cm x 94 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Kenwood House, London, United Kingdom |
Rembrandt portraits make up a vast selection of his work. In fact, he had more than 40 self-portraits. Self-Portrait with Two Circles is considered one of his best self-portraits and holds its own amongst his later work. The painting depicts him at work, holding his maulstick, palette, and brushes. In the background, there are two mysterious semi-circles.
Over the years, critics have come up with various theories regarding the meaning of the circles that range from them being a world map to several symbolic meanings. However, their true meaning remains unknown.
The painting has areas that seem unfinished, such as the hat and the face, where the paint has been applied thickly with rapid brushstrokes. The exclusion of date and signature further indicate that the work may be incomplete. Although the work may not have been complete, it still influenced artists that followed. Rembrandt’s technique with his rapid brushstroke, his alive, hurried, and restless hand was replicated by Édouard Manet in the 19th century.
Rembrandt stands defiantly with one hand on his hip giving the impression that he is a master at work asserting his brilliance. Rembrandt engages with the viewer by staring directly at them. He depicted his face with realism and vulnerability while shadowing it softly to suggest his intelligent mind was actively curious and discerning. Rembrandt made more self-portraits than his peers at the time, surpassing them in number and arguably in skill too.
He would regularly turn his attention to studying his own face in great detail, leaving behind a legacy of intricately detailed self-portraits in the forms of etchings, drawings, and paintings that effectively documented his aging from early on in his career to his later years.
The Jewish Bride (c. 1665 – 1669)
| Date Painted | c. 1665 – 1669 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 121.5 cm x 166.5 cm |
| Where It Is Currently Housed | Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands |
Rembrandt’s The Jewish Bride was painted somewhere between 1665 and 1669. The painting gained its title from an Amsterdam art collector early on in the 19th century. He suggested that the painting was a portrayal of a Jewish father gifting a necklace to his daughter on the day she is getting married. Another interpretation alluded to the painting being of Rembrandt’s son, Titus, and his wife, or the Biblical figures Isaac and Rebekah. The accepted understanding is that the portrait is of a couple.
The ambiguity and speculation behind the figures’ identities stem from the lack of context in the painting; as there is no scenery, leaving the intimacy of the couples’ moment in focus.
It highlights the universal theme of the painting, that of a couple in tenderness and love. The Jewish Bride is an example of portrait historié, which describes portraits that depicted patrons as mythological or biblical figures to emphasize their virtue, fidelity, and piety. This method of portraiture was popular during the 17th century of the Dutch Golden Age.
In The Jewish Bride, the paint holds the same importance in the composition as the figures in the painting. Rembrandt left the paint as rough brushwork. Although the faces of the figures are smooth and creamy, for the garments Rembrandt used his palette knife to layer his pigments to achieve a textured look that mimicked the appearance of intricate lace, luxuriant brocades, delicate folds, and shimmering jewelry. Rembrandt experimented with various effects by following the different drying rates of the pigments.
The composition of The Jewish Bride is considered one of the most exceptional expressions of physical and spiritual love. Rembrandt captured the raw emotion in his work. This psychologically expressive piece of art forms part of the permanent collection in Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum.
There is no easy way to condense an artist’s life’s work into a shortlist of favorites, especially when their contribution to art has been monumental. Nonetheless, we hope you enjoyed reading through our selection of the top 10 most famous Rembrandt paintings, it is certainly not exhaustive, but we did choose his most notable and distinguished works that still hold their weight today. If you enjoyed reading this article, we suggest you continue exploring our website. There are so many art topics to choose from!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Is Rembrandt Famous?
Rembrandt was famous for his portraits, including self-portraits, and his portrayal of biblical and historical narratives. He created over 300 works of art during the Dutch Golden Age. Rembrandt is considered one of Holland’s most versatile and skilled artists. He is widely understood as one of the most significant painters in European history.
What Was Rembrandt Most Known For?
Rembrandt’s highly acclaimed painting, The Night Watch from 1642, is considered one of the most famous paintings to come out of the Dutch Golden Age. The sheer size of the figures made them appear life-size. In this daring piece of work, Rembrandt chose to present the crowd of figures in a bustling scene and capture the military in motion which broke new ground for its skillful use of contrast and its perception of motion.
What Was Rembrandt’s Style?
Rembrandt art falls under the Dutch Golden Age period. Although the work he produced during the 17th century depicts a wide variety of subject matter and styles, his work has largely been categorized under the Baroque style.
