Object Image

Saskia van Uylenburgh, the Wife of the Artist

After learning the fundamentals of drawing and painting in his native Leiden, Rembrandt van Rijn went to Amsterdam in 1624 to study for six months with Pieter Lastman (1583–1633), a famous history painter. Upon completion of his training Rembrandt returned to Leiden. Around 1632 he moved to Amsterdam, quickly establishing himself as the town’s leading artist, specializing in history paintings and portraiture. He received many commissions and attracted a number of students who came to learn his method of painting.

Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia van Uylenburgh, came from a patrician family in Leeuwarden, the capital of the province of Friesland; her father served as the town’s burgomaster. Hendrik van...

probably begun 1634/1635 and completed 1638/1640
Oil on panel
62.5 x 49.0cm
1942.9.71
Image and text © National Gallery of Art, 2020

Where you'll find this

National Gallery of Art
Permanent collection