66. Rembrandt van Rijn,
The Pilgrims at Emmaus, 1648.

Oil on wood, 68 x 65 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris.

 

 

But a second event hit Rembrandt harder than the failure of his guild picture: his wife died in June 1642 after bearing him a son the year before. With this tragedy his life lost its anchor. In 1650, his financial position went into a decline and, although he took on more portrait commissions, the ruin could not be overcome; in 1655 he declared bankruptcy and had to agree in the following year to the auctioning of his house and its valuables. He did not end up in complete poverty; he was given protection from his creditors and was still able to enjoy relatively quiet twilight years, thanks mainly to his maid Hendrickje Stoffels who led his household from around 1649 with care and prudence.

Rembrandt’s mastery can be plainly seen in some of his self-portraits, and in a series of “Rabbi” portraits, old men either alone or in groups. These pictures, which include Christ and the Adulteress (1644), two Holy Families (1640 and 1645), Susanna and the Elders (1647), one of the two Adoration of the Shepherds (1646), The Supper at Emmaus (1648) and others are still witness to the full richness of Rembrandt’s art.