Rembrandt and his Contemporaries: History Paintings from The Leiden Collection
Rembrandt and His Contemporaries: History Paintings from The Leiden Collection brings thirty-five important history paintings to Amsterdam, the city where so many of their creators lived and worked in the 17th century. The show includes renowned works by Rembrandt van Rijn, who embraced the principle that to be a great master one should be a history painter. Rembrandt’s Minerva in her Study takes center stage, richly complemented by allegorical, biblical, and mythological paintings by his contemporaries. Notable works include masterpieces by his teacher Pieter Lastman; pupils Ferdinand Bol and Arent de Gelder; and contemporaries Frans van Mieris, Caspar Netscher, and Jan Steen. Other highlights include the jewel-like Bust of a Bearded Old Man—Rembrandt’s smallest painting and a remarkable example of his virtuosity— as well as Hagar and the Angel by Carel Fabritius, the only work by Rembrandt’s finest pupil still in private hands.
Rembrandt and His Contemporaries: History Paintings from The Leiden Collection is curated by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., The Leiden Collection, and Christiaan Vogelaar, Museum de Lakenhal.
