Artist Journey

Rembrandt's Journey

Follow the Dutch Master through the Golden Age

4 locations

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was the greatest painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Leiden, he conquered Amsterdam with his dramatic lighting and psychological depth. His self-portraits chart a lifetime of triumphs and tragedies: fame, fortune, bankruptcy, and the loss of his wife and children. Through it all, he painted with unflinching honesty, transforming himself and everyone around him into timeless art.

The Journey

4 stops

Leiden, Netherlands

Birthplace•1606-1631•Age 0-25

Rembrandt was born on July 15, 1606, the ninth child of a prosperous miller. Leiden was a thriving intellectual center, home to the oldest university in the Netherlands. Young Rembrandt enrolled at 14 but quickly abandoned academic studies for painting. He studied with local masters before opening his own studio, where he began exploring the dramatic chiaroscuro that would define his work.

Leiden shaped Rembrandt's early style. His first self-portraits and history paintings emerged here. The intellectual atmosphere and Protestant culture influenced his lifelong engagement with biblical themes.

What to See Here(4 places)

Rembrandt's Birthplace (Site)

landmark

A plaque marks the approximate location of the family home and his father's mill

Weddesteeg

Museum De Lakenhal

museum

Leiden's municipal museum with an excellent collection of early Rembrandt works and Dutch Golden Age paintings

Oude Singel 32

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Leiden University

landmark

Where Rembrandt briefly enrolled in 1620. The Academiegebouw still stands.

Pieterskerk

landmark

The Gothic church in whose shadow Rembrandt lived and where his father was buried

Amsterdam (Early Years), Netherlands

Must Visit

Lived & Worked•1631-1642•Age 25-36

Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam in 1631 and quickly became the city's most sought-after portrait painter. He married Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634, joining a wealthy family. Success allowed him to buy an expensive house and collect art obsessively. In 1642, he completed The Night Watch, his most ambitious work, the same year Saskia died after childbirth.

Why it matters: These were Rembrandt's golden years. He dominated Amsterdam's art market, commanded high prices, and produced masterworks. The Night Watch transformed group portraiture forever.

What to See Here(4 places)

Rijksmuseum

museum

Houses the world's greatest Rembrandt collection, including The Night Watch in its own gallery, The Jewish Bride, and dozens of other masterpieces

Museumstraat 1

The Night Watch is in the Gallery of Honour. Allow several hours for the Rembrandt collection alone.

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Museum Het Rembrandthuis

museum

Rembrandt's home from 1639-1658, restored to its 17th-century appearance. His studio, art collection, and printing press recreated.

Jodenbreestraat 4

The house purchase contributed to his later bankruptcy. Now contains his complete etchings.

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Westerkerk

landmark

The church where Rembrandt is buried, though his exact grave location is unknown

Prinsengracht 279

Oude Kerk

landmark

Where Saskia was buried in 1642. Amsterdam's oldest church, in the Red Light District.

Masterpieces Created Here(3 works)

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

1632

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

1633

The Night Watch

Amsterdam (Later Years), Netherlands

Final Resting Place•1642-1669•Age 36-63

After Saskia's death, Rembrandt's fortunes declined. His style grew unfashionable as smooth, elegant painters gained favor. In 1656, he declared bankruptcy and lost his house and collections. He moved to a modest house in the Jordaan with his common-law wife Hendrickje and son Titus. Despite poverty and grief, his late work achieved unprecedented depth and humanity.

Why it matters: Rembrandt's late period is now considered his greatest. Freed from commercial pressure, he painted with radical honesty. The Jewish Bride, Return of the Prodigal Son, and his final self-portraits rank among art's supreme achievements.

What to See Here(4 places)

Rozengracht (Final Home)

landmark

A plaque marks Rembrandt's final home in the Jordaan, where he lived from 1658 until his death

Rozengracht 184

Rijksmuseum

museum

Houses late masterpieces including The Jewish Bride (c. 1667) and the Syndics of the Drapers' Guild

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Jordaan Neighborhood

neighborhood

The working-class area where Rembrandt spent his final years. Walk the canals and imagine his daily life.

Hermitage Amsterdam

museum

Satellite of St. Petersburg's Hermitage with rotating exhibitions often featuring Rembrandt

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Masterpieces Created Here(4 works)

Bathsheba at Her Bath

1654

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

1653

Self-Portrait

The Hague, Netherlands

Worked•Visits•Age Various

Though Amsterdam was his home, Rembrandt received important commissions from The Hague, seat of the Dutch government. The Mauritshuis now houses some of his most beloved works, including The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp. The royal collection and diplomatic visitors provided wealthy patrons.

Why it matters: The Hague's Mauritshuis offers an intimate Rembrandt experience, with key works displayed in period rooms at human scale.

What to See Here(2 places)

Mauritshuis

museum

The Dutch royal picture gallery with Rembrandt's Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp, Self-Portrait, and other masterpieces in intimate galleries

Plein 29

Smaller and less crowded than the Rijksmuseum. See Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring here too.

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Binnenhof

landmark

The historic government complex near the Mauritshuis, center of Dutch power in Rembrandt's time

Masterpieces Created Here(1 works)

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

1632

Suggested Itineraries

3 options

Recommended

Amsterdam Rembrandt Day

1 day

The Rijksmuseum and Rembrandthuis, with a walk through the Jordaan

Amsterdam (Early Years)

Amsterdam (Later Years)

Dutch Golden Age Trail

3-4 days

Leiden, Amsterdam, and The Hague for the complete Dutch Masters experience

Leiden

Amsterdam (Early Years)

Amsterdam (Later Years)

The Hague

Rembrandt's Amsterdam

2 days

Deep dive into his Amsterdam life: the Rembrandthuis, Rijksmuseum, and all the sites

Amsterdam (Early Years)

Amsterdam (Later Years)

Life Timeline

12 events

1606

Born in Leiden on July 15

1620

Enrolls at Leiden University but soon leaves to study painting

1631

Moves to Amsterdam

1632

Paints The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp; immediate success

1634

Marries Saskia van Uylenburgh

1639

Buys expensive house on Jodenbreestraat (now Rembrandthuis)

1642

Completes The Night Watch; Saskia dies

1654

Paints Bathsheba at Her Bath

1656

Declares bankruptcy; loses house and collections

1663

Hendrickje dies

1668

Son Titus dies

1669

Dies in Amsterdam on October 4, aged 63

Rembrandt's Journey

The Journey

Leiden, Netherlands

What to See Here(4 places)

Rembrandt's Birthplace (Site)

Museum De Lakenhal

Leiden University

Pieterskerk

Amsterdam (Early Years), Netherlands

What to See Here(4 places)

Rijksmuseum

Museum Het Rembrandthuis

Westerkerk

Oude Kerk

Masterpieces Created Here(3 works)

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

The Storm on the Sea of Galilee

The Night Watch

Amsterdam (Later Years), Netherlands

What to See Here(4 places)

Rozengracht (Final Home)

Rijksmuseum

Jordaan Neighborhood

Hermitage Amsterdam

Masterpieces Created Here(4 works)

Bathsheba at Her Bath

Aristotle with a Bust of Homer

Self-Portrait

The Hague, Netherlands

What to See Here(2 places)

Mauritshuis

Binnenhof

Masterpieces Created Here(1 works)

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp

Suggested Itineraries

Amsterdam Rembrandt Day

Dutch Golden Age Trail

Rembrandt's Amsterdam

Where to See Rembrandt's Work Today

Rijksmuseum

Museum Het Rembrandthuis

Mauritshuis

Metropolitan Museum of Art

State Hermitage Museum

Life Timeline

Explore Rembrandt van Rijn's Works

The Jewish Bride