Old Testament paintings
by REMBRANDT

Images of holy people and of stories from the Gospels were the object of veneration that the Reformation was intended to ban. Biblical heroes for which no cult existed were found in the Jewish Bible. The patriarchs Abraham and Joseph, Samson the judge, King David, Queen Esther, the pious old and young Tobit: this cast of characters provided Rembrandt with material for moral dramas throughout his life.

Rembrandt started to paint Old Testament stories and figures shortly after he had set up as an independent artist in Leiden in 1625. His early work shows the powerful influence of his master's, Pieter Lastman's, broad, colourful style.

Late in the 1640s Rembrandt began to watch Jews more carefully, and to characterize them more deeply than before. Rembrandt had the opportunity to study the Jewish population of Amsterdam. From the time he purchased his large house in the Sint-Anthonisbreestraat (later the Jodenbreestraat) in 1639 until he was forced to sell it in 1658 he lived on the edge of the largest Jewish community in Holland. To Rembrandt the Jews were the people of the Bible, and with his deepening realism he wanted to become more authentic in his biblical representations.

Preview Picture Data Info
Tobit Accusing Anna of Stealing the Kid
1626
Oil on panel, 40 x 30 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


Balaam's Ass
1626
Oil on panel, 63 x 47 cm
Musée Cognacq-Jay, Paris


Samson and Delilah
1626-27
Oil on oak panel, 28 x 24 cm
Rijksmuseum. Amsterdam


Samson and Delilah
1628
Oil on oak, 61 x 50 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


David Presenting the Head of Goliath to King Saul
1627
Oil on panel, 27 x 38 cm
Öffentliche Kunstsammlung, Basel


Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem
1630
Oil on panel, 58 x 46 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


Esther Preparing for the Meeting with Ahasuerus
c. 1633
Oil on canvas, 110 x 94 cm
National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa


Joseph Telling his Dreams to his Parents and Brothers
c. 1633
Oil on paper on cardboard, 51 x 39 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam


The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac
1635
Oil on canvas, 193 x 132 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg


The Angel Stopping Abraham from Sacrificing Isaac
1636
Oil on canvas, 195 x 132 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich


Samson Accusing his Father-in-Law
1635
Oil on canvas, 159 x 131 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


The Blinding of Samson
1636
Oil on canvas, 236 x 302 cm
Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt


The Blinding of Samson (detail)
1636
Oil on canvas
Städelsches Kunstinstitut, Frankfurt


Belshazzar's Feast
c. 1636
Oil on canvas, 168 x 209 cm
National Gallery, London


Tobit is Healed by His Son
1636
Oil on panel, 47 x 39 cm
Staatsgalerie, Stuttgart


The Archangel Leaving the Family of Tobias
1637
Oil on wood, 68 x 52 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris


The Wedding of Samson
1638
Oil on canvas, 127 x 178 cm
Gemäldegalerie, Dresden


David's Farewell to Jonathan
1642
Oil on wood, 73 x 62 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg


The Toilet of Bathsheba
1643
Oil on wood, 57 x 76 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York


Tobit's Wife with the Goat
1645
Oil on mahogany panel, 20 x 27 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


Susanna and the Elders
1647
Oil on mahogany panel, 77 x 93 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


Susanna and the Elders (detail)
1647
Oil on mahogany panel
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


Bathsheba at her Bath
1654
Oil on canvas, 142 x 142 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris


Bathsheba at her Bath
1654
Oil on canvas, 142 x 142 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris


Joseph Accused by Potiphar's Wife
1655
Oil on canvas, 106 x 98 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington


Jacob Blessing the Children of Joseph
1656
Oil on canvas, 173 x 209 cm
Staatliche Museen, Kassel


Saul and David
c. 1655
Oil on canvas, 131 x 164 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague


Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law
1659
Oil on canvas, 169 x 137 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


Moses Smashing the Tablets of the Law (detail)
1659
Oil on canvas, 169 x 137 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin


David and Uriah
1665
Oil on canvas, 127 x 117 cm
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg


David and Uriah (detail)
1665
Oil on canvas
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg


David and Uriah (detail)
1665
Oil on canvas
The Hermitage, St. Petersburg



Summary of works by Rembrandt
Paintings
New Testament subjects | until 1639 | 1640s | 1650-60s
Passion of Christ | Old Testament subjects
Mythological subjects | Historical subjects
Portraits | until 1632 | 1633-39 | 1640s | 1650s | 1660s
Group portraits | Self-portraits
Landscapes | Miscellaneous subjects
Paintings in the style of Rembrandt (not by Rembrandt)
Graphics
Etchings | Drawings



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