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Considered one of the greatest painters of his era and beyond, Rembrandt van Rijn died in poverty. DENNIS BROE explains why
Nightwatch by Rembrandt van Rijn
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THIS year Rembrandt van Rijn is being feted throughout the Netherlands and throughout Europe in exhibitions marking the 350th anniversary of his death in 1669.
They celebrate not only his painting but also the ascendency of Dutch naval and trading power in the 17th century, with Amsterdam becoming the world’s largest port and Holland the empire that succeeded the Spanish and Portuguese.
Born in Leiden in 1606, Rembrandt became the most prominent — and one of the best paid — portrait painters of the Dutch merchant class that powered this empire.
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