Rembrandt van Rijn was born on July 15, 1606, in Leiden, the Netherlands.

Rembrandt was the chief painter of the Dutch School, and in certain qualities, especially in chiaroscuro--the contrasts of light and shade--has no equal in the range of art.

The Stoning of Saint Stephen is the first signed painting by Rembrandt, painted in 1625 at the age of 19. It was inspired by Saint Stephen, the young Christian deacon whose martyrdom is recounted in Acts 7.

In a number of biblical works, including The Raising of the Cross, Joseph Telling His Dreams, and The Stoning of Saint Stephen, Rembrandt painted himself as a character in the crowd. Durham suggests that this was because the Bible was for Rembrandt "a kind of diary, an account of moments in his own life".

Rembrandt's house and possessions were auctioned off to pay his debts. To satisfy creditors, he was even obliged to sell his dead wife's grave in Amsterdam's Oude Kerk.

Rembrandt very rarely used pure blue or green colors, the most pronounced exception being Belshazzar's Feast.

His practice of signing his work with his first name, later followed by Vincent van Gogh, was probably inspired by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo who, like Rembrandt, were referred to by their first names alone.

Although the artist's wife Saskia was the original model for Danaë, Rembrandt later changed the figure's face to that of his mistress Geertje Dircx.

The dimpling on Saskia van Uylenburgh's left breast, as portrayed in Bathsheba at Her Bath, is a reliable sign of breast cancer. She died on June 14, 1642, at the age of 29.

After his wife's death, Rembrandt began a relationship with his maid, the much younger Hendrickje Stoffels. In 1654, they had a daughter, Cornelia, bringing Hendrickje a summons from the Reformed Church to answer the charge "that she had committed the acts of a whore with Rembrandt the painter". She admitted this and was banned from receiving communion.