Portret van Rembrandt van Rijn 1771

This is Georg Friedrich Schmidt’s portrait of Rembrandt van Rijn, an engraving held at the Rijksmuseum. Schmidt, who lived from 1712 to 1775, created this print as part of a broader 18th-century European movement that rediscovered and celebrated the Dutch Golden Age. Here, Rembrandt is depicted not just as an artist but as a figure of historical significance, his attire a nod to the past, evoking a sense of timelessness. This raises questions about identity and legacy. How do we, and how did Schmidt, see Rembrandt? Was it as a master craftsman or as a symbol of Dutch cultural pride? The emotional depth of the work comes from the details of the engraving, from the soft rendering of Rembrandt's hair to the heavy armor. These details invite us to consider the man behind the art, his place in society, and how his image was carefully constructed and then re-constructed by Schmidt. This print serves as a powerful reminder of how artistic identities are shaped across time.