Rembrandt Route

You’ve probably heard of Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn, but did you know that he enrolled as a student at Leiden University? To celebrate Rembrandt Year this year, the University is displaying some of his works on a huge scale.

Portrait of Marten Soolmans, Rembrandt, 1634, joint acquisition by the State of the Netherlands and the Republic of France, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam/Musée du Louvre, Paris

Discover traces of Rembrandt at Leiden University

Did you know that Rembrandt enrolled as a student of the Arts in 1620? And that he painted the portrait of famous Leiden alumni such as Marten Soolmans, Jan Six and Nicolaes Tulp? Walk around the city centre from the spring of this year and you will see his paintings displayed on enormous canvases. You’ll also learn more about the links between Rembrandt and Leiden University in our Rembrandt dossier and a booklet that accompanies the exhibition.

Enrolled at Leiden University

Rembrandt was just 13 years old when he enrolled as a student at Leiden University. This was not an unusual age for a university student at the time. His enrolment can be seen in a book dating from 1620 that is now in the University Library. This may well be the first and oldest book to mention Rembrandt.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp, Rembrandt 1632, Mauritshuis The Hague

Leiden University Libraries hold around 100 prints by Rembrandt, as well as a number of drawings and works by his pupils and assistants. Curator Jef Schaeps is producing a booklet presenting work from Rembrandt’s Leiden period. (Provisional publisher: Leiden University Press.)