On view now at the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO), Painted Presence: Rembrandt and His Peers is a rare and remarkable assembly of 17th century Dutch paintings. At the centre of the exhibition are seven works by or attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) – the most ever seen together in Toronto in a public museum.
The exhibition features two of Rembrandt most imposing oil on canvas portraits – the AGO’s own Portrait of a Woman with a Lap Dog (c. 1665) and Agnes’s Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo, (1658) – alongside three smaller studies of heads, and two paintings attributed to the artist, Head of a Bearded Man: Study For Saint Matthew (1657) and A Scholar by Candlelight (c.1628-1629). Considered to be among the greatest of all 17th century portraitists, Rembrandt and his peers were celebrated in their time for making paintings that seemingly captured reality.
Rembrandt van Rijn. Portrait of a Woman with a Lap Dog, c. 1665. Oil on canvas, Overall: 81.3 × 64.1 cm. Art Gallery of Ontario. Bequest of Frank P. Wood, 1955. Photo © AGO. 54/30
Rembrandt van Rijn, Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo, 1658. Oil on canvas, 107.4 x 87.0 cm. Collection of the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University. Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2015 (58-008). Photo: Paul Litherland
As the head of a large studio in Amsterdam, Rembrandt trained numerous artists, many of whose work is so good it can be difficult to differentiate the pupil from the master. The exhibition makes clear the tricky and often subjective task of defining what, in fact, makes a Rembrandt. Variously attributed over the years to both Rembrandt and his pupil Carel Fabritius (1622-1654), the AGO’s Portrait of a Woman with a Handkerchief, c. 1644, may still someday be called a Rembrandt, but for the time being remains attributed to the Studio of Rembrandt. On the other hand, the touching Portrait of a Woman probably Hendrickje Stoffels c. 1653, once believed to be by Rembrandt, is now convincingly attributed to his student Jacobus Leveck (1634 – 1675).
Jacob van Campen, Old Woman with a Book, 1625–1630. Oil on canvas, 71.5 x 57.0 cm. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2013 (56-003.05)
Abraham Susenier, Vanitas Still Life with a Portrait of Rembrandt, a Sculpture, a Skull, Feathers, an Overturned Roemer and a Portfolio of Drawings, around 1668. Oil on canvas, 59.7 x 73.7 cm. Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen’s University, Gift of Alfred and Isabel Bader, 2014 (57-001.32)
Painted Presence: Rembrandt and his Peers is on view at the AGO now through February of 2026. Admission is free for all Indigenous Peoples, AGO Members and Annual Passholders. Same day tickets can be booked in person and online. For more details on how to book your tickets or to become a Member or Annual Passholder, visit ago.ca.
