Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn 1606 – 1669

The apostle Bartholomew (1657)

oil on canvas (123 × 100 cm) — 1657 Timken Museum, San Diego

Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn biography

This work is linked to Acts 1:13

In his right hand Bartholomew holds a butcher's knife, his traditional attribute. It is a symbol of his martyrdom: he is said to have been flayed alive.

It appears that the apostle is sunk in thought. Such introspective portraits are typical for Rembrandt's late works. He would make another portrait of Bartholomew in 1661.

The painting came into the Putnam collection in 1952, after having been part of collections in England, Russia, England and New York.

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