Rembrandt & Jan Six - An Amsterdam Friendship

This week is your last chance to see Rembrandt's world-famous portrait of Jan Six, presented in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum. And to learn more about its story.

Rare opportunity

Rembrandt's world-famous portrait of Jan Six was brought to the Rijksmuseum especially for this exhibition. The portrait has been part of the private collection of the Six family from Amsterdam since the 17th century and is rarely available for public viewing. Twenty works on paper, which tell the story of the development of the portrait, are also on display in the Print Room.

Unusually informal portrait

The beautiful 17th-century portrait is only rarely lent out by the Six family; however, as the Six estate is currently undergoing a major renovation, the portrait is temporarily on display in the Rijksmuseum. Six is depicted in an unusually informal, relaxed and nonchalant manner, creating the illusion of a snapshot of a man about to put on his gloves - or is he about to take them off?

The painting in context

The work of art currently on display is by no means Rembrandt's first portrait of Six. Rembrandt's first known etching of Six, which dates back to 1647, is also exhibited with its accompanying sketches. Rembrandt played with the idea of depicting Six as a country nobleman, however, the artist probably considered his first version too rustic. In the second drawing Six is depicted as a studious literature devotee. Various previous versions of the etching are also exhibited, as well as the copper plate that has always remained in the Six collection.