Rembrandt van Rijn
2019 marks the 350th anniversary of Rembrandt’s death. On this occasion the Mauritshuis in the Hague have put their entire collection of Rembrandts on display; we will present some of them in DailyArt. : )
The manner in which Rembrandt painted the Greek poet Homer is typical of his late work. He used broad, rough brushstrokes and robustly set down the golden cloak using his palette knife. It is as if a French Impressionist from the 19th century has been at work here.
When Bredius, a Dutch art collector, art historian, and museum curator purchased this painting in London, its provenance was not yet known. But it turned out that it could be traced right back to the beginning—almost too good to be true! Rembrandt made Homer for the Sicilian nobleman Antonio Ruffo, who commissioned the painting directly from the artist to form a series with two other Rembrandts that he had previously purchased. This shows that Rembrandt’s fame stretched beyond the borders of the Dutch Republic even during his lifetime. In the 18th century the painting ended up in England, where Bredius later bought it.
P.S. Among the great Mauritshuis collection there's also Rembrandt's famous Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp. Read about it here!