Where Is The rich fool? See It at Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Q: What parable does this illustrate?

The painting depicts the Parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12. A man hoards wealth, not knowing God will take his life that night, asking "whose shall these things be?"

Q: Where can I see The Rich Fool?

This painting hangs at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, which holds major Dutch Golden Age and European Old Master paintings.

Q: Why did Rembrandt paint biblical parables?

Rembrandt lived in Protestant Holland where biblical moralizing was culturally important. He transformed parables into psychologically striking dramas about human nature.

Rembrandt van Rijn illustrated the biblical parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12. An elderly man counts his wealth by candlelight, unaware that God will demand his soul that very night. Dramatic chiaroscuro illuminates coins and ledgers while darkness surrounds the figure, symbolizing his spiritual blindness.

This Baroque moralizing scene reflects Dutch Protestant culture's ambivalence about wealth. Rembrandt excelled at transforming biblical parables into psychologically striking dramas. The fool's absorption in counting mirrors the viewer's own potential for misplaced priorities. The painting hangs at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin.

The painting depicts the Parable of the Rich Fool from Luke 12. A man hoards wealth, not knowing God will take his life that night, asking "whose shall these things be?"

This painting hangs at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, which holds major Dutch Golden Age and European Old Master paintings.

Rembrandt lived in Protestant Holland where biblical moralizing was culturally important. He transformed parables into psychologically striking dramas about human nature.

The rich fool

Where to See It

The Artist

More by Rembrandt van Rijn

The Apostle Paul

A Beggar Warming his Hands over a Chafing Dish

Jesus Disputing with the Doctors

An Old Man with a Large Beard

Also at Gemäldegalerie, Berlin

Penitent Magdalene

the Purchase Agreement

Man in a Golden Helmet

Young Woman with a Pearl Necklace

Related Baroque Works

The Laughing Cavalier

Girl with the Red Hat

Girl with a Pearl Earring

Laocoön

The Lacemaker

Woman Holding a Balance

Woman Reading a Letter

The Rokeby Venus

About The rich fool

Own Art Like This