Directed by Rembrandt

Go to the theatre with Rembrandt and discover how painters and theatre-makers in seventeenth-century Amsterdam were inspired by each other.

During Rembrandt’s lifetime, theatre played an increasingly important role in the everyday lives of Amsterdam’s citizens. Rembrandt, too, saw theatre and was inspired by it. He used various directing techniques to create images that tell fascinating and convincing stories: from facial expressions and hand gestures to costumes and accessories. He also made sure that he depicted the right moment: the one that provided the ultimate suspense.

This book brings the vibrant theatre world of seventeenth-century Amsterdam to life and highlights, for the first time, Rembrandt’s role as the director of his own artworks.