Brief Biography-Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was from Leiden. The name Rijn comes from a tributary of the Rhine named the Rijn, where he spent his youthful years alongside; his real name was Gerritsz. He was three years with the artist Jacques van Zwanenburg then moved to Amsterdam to study under Pieter Lastman on the advice of Jan Lievensz, whom he was to work with back in Leiden. However, he only stayed six months with Lastman and went on to study with Jacob Pynas, who inspired him to use intense shades of light and darkness.
His first significant sale was in The Hague, where he received one hundred florins for a painting. That sale attracted public attention and solicited so much work that he returned to Amsterdam.
His paintings were in high demand in Amsterdam, as was his tuition. The sons of wealthy patrons afforded him one hundred florins a year for his discipline. Joachim von Sandrart maintained he touched up copies of his works done by his pupils, which increased their value and gained him an average of two thousand five hundred florins a year.
His later paintings were to have a different style to his earlier works which resembled a class of the Leiden Fijnschilders or Fine painters with emphasis on detail; his finish was to become more robust and bolder. He became famous with paintings such as The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp, which became a sensation.
In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenborch of a wealthy family. Their first three children died young, and in 1641, their son Titus was born. Saskia died in 1642, the same year he painted The Night Watch. Due to living beyond his means and complications with Saskia’s will, he became bankrupt by 1656. Hendrijke Stoffels became his mistress, and they had a daughter; however, his fortunes never recovered to the same extent as before.
Among his list of many students or those who later used his rooms at the top of his house were; Ferdinand Bol, Gerrit Dou, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Carel Fabritius, Willem Drost, Samuel Dirksz van Hoogstraten, Aert de Gelder, Govert Teunisz Flinck, Jacob Adriaensz Backer, and Nicolaes Maes.