Poverty in his last years

Rembrandt was born on 15th of July in 1606 as a son of a miller. He went to school in Leiden in the Netherlands where he was born. From 1621 to 1623 he was an apprentice to the painter van Swanenburgh. Afterwards he worked with the histories painter Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. In 1625 he went back to Leiden and established his own studio. Approximately six to seven years later he moved back to Amsterdam and got married with Saskia von Uylenburgh in 1634. She was the niece of the painter Hendrik van Uylenburgh with who Rembrandt lived until 1635. Rembrandt prospered due to his art work and lived with Saskia and their four children in Amsterdam. Exept their son Titus all children died in their early childhood. After Saskia died in 1642, Rembrandt employed the governess Geertje Dircks for paying attention to Titus. But she took him to court because he broke his promise to marry her. Hence Rembrandt was supposed to pay 200 Gulden each year, but he brought her arrested. In 1654 her daughter with Hendrickje Stoffels was born. She had the name Cornelia of Rembrandt’s mother. In the years after his financial standing became worse. On one hand his style of portraits were not any longer in common and on the other hand the owner of his house insisted of the remaining payment. Due to that Rembrandt lost all his investments and paintings as well in 1657/58. After Hendrickje also died in 1663 he married Magdalena van Loo in 1668. She was the niece of his aunt Titia. In the same year his son Titus died and one year later, on the 04th of October in 1669 himself. He lived his last years in poverty.

Rembrandt was one of the famous painters from the Netherlands and with his baroque art works he gave a distinction to all following generations of artists. Beside his famous paintings he made a lot of etchings and drawings.

© Hardy Schulz, Hamburg