"...a respectable, middle-class
family." |
Rembrandt
Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leyden, about 50 kilometres from Amsterdam, on the 15th
of July 1606. Rembrandt was the eighth of nine children. Some critics have described
Rembrandts traditionally large family as struggling; however, there is no documented
evidence that suggests that the van Rijn family was in anyway impoverished. Rather, it is
thought that the family was quite comfortable. Their reputation was that of a respectable,
middle-class family.
Rembrandts father was a successful miller. His surname, van Rijn,
suggests that his family had been established for generations in the same region near the
Rhine River. In fact, the familys mill, which was on the Velst, a branch of the
Rhine, was called the Rhine Mill.
Rembrandts mother was Neeltgen (also called Cornelia) Willemsdochter
van Zuytbrouck. She was the daughter of a prosperous baker. The family was close as ws the
norm of the day. Rembrandt's grandfather on his mother's side was also the godfather of
Rembrandts brother, Willem.
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