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What kinds of objects did Rembrandt collect in his art room?
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Rembrandt
Self-Portrait, oil on canvas by Rembrandt, 1659; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Rembrandt van Rijn maintained a richly varied personal collection of objects in his kunstkamer (art room), which served as both a source of inspiration and a repository of curiosities. His collection was broadly categorized into two types:12
- Naturalia: Natural objects, such as shells and coral.2
- Artificialia: Man-made objects, including medals, plaster casts of busts of Greek philosophers and Roman emperors, weapons, and musical instruments from various cultures.2
Additionally, his collection contained numerous prints and paintings by other artists, as well as Mughal miniatures. These items often appeared as props in his own works, and the collection of prints and paintings likely contributed to his extensive art-historical knowledge. The scope of these holdings is well-documented in the inventory created during his 1656 bankruptcy, and a reconstruction of how he arranged these objects can be viewed today at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam.21