ALEXANDER the GREAT, C. 1655
(or Man in Armor )
This painting together with “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer” and “Homer Dictating to a Scribe”, make up the only certain extended series of paintings Rembrandt executed. Even more unusual is that the commissioner was an Italian nobleman. There is little doubt that Rembrandt was, at this time, the only Dutch artist with a truly international reputation. This fact, however seems to have had little effect on his creditors at home. In 1656, Rembrandt’s long expected financial disaster finally occurred. Rembrandt held a number of sales of his personal effects and his art collection to satisfy his creditors. Nevertheless, despite these problems, some of most beautiful and moving works were executed during this trying period.
I recreated this Rembrandt in 1988. I called the Glasgow Art Gallery in Glasgow Scotland and asked them to mail me a poster of the painting which is what I used for the reproduction.
Oil on canvas 1988