Rembrandt (1606-1669)
Staalmeesters (The Wardens of the Amsterdam Drapers’ Guild, Known as ‘The Syndics’)
1662
Oil on canvas, 191.5 x 279 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
After suffering financial difficulties in the 1650s, Rembrandt moved to a rental house on the Rozengracht. The Amsterdam élite no longer knocked on his door as often as they had done before. He nevertheless remained popular: this important guild commissioned him to paint a group portrait. Rembrandt produced a lively scene by having the wardens look up from their work as if interrupted by our arrival. (RIJKS)