Because of the world’s veneration for Rembrandt and the lack of documentary evidence about his work, scholars have vastly overestimated his productivity. By the middle of this century, more paintings, drawings, and etchings were attributed to this beloved artist than one man could possibly have created. Recently research has been done to establish a body of work that can be securely attributed to Rembrandt and to identify other paintings and drawings previously associated with Rembrandt as the work of artists who studied in his studio.

Drawing on this research, these books on Rembrandt’s paintings, drawings and etchings provide for the first time a clear picture of the division of work that was done in Rembrandt’s workshop. Each book is an important contribution to Rembrandt scholarship as well as a sumptuous collection of his works.

The books will serve as the catalogues for a major exhibition of Rembrandt’s paintings, drawings, and etchings opening at the Altes Museum in Berlin and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam in 1991. Paintings and etchings from this exhibition will later be on display at the National Gallery in London; the drawings will be shown at the British Museum.

In the beautiful volume on the Paintings, prominent experts discuss Rembrandt’s life, his technique, the organization of his workshop, and the history of critical response to him. The authors then present detailed studies of fifty-one paintings definitely attributed to Rembrandt, from his earliest biblical subjects to the last self-portrait. The final section of the book discusses the work of Rembrandt’s pupils, including Ferdinand Bol, Gerrit Dou, and Nicolaes Maes. Paintings once assumed to be by Rembrandt are attributed to these pupils and are related to other works they have done.