Rembrandt — Studies in his Varied Approaches to Italian Art

Amy Golahny is Richmond Professor Emerita at Lycoming College and Past President of the Historians of Netherlandish Art. She has published extensively on Pieter Lastman, Rembrandt, and other topics.

"Rembrandt himself never went to Italy, but his consciousness of Italian artists resonates throughout his work. That is the subject of this enlightening study by an accomplished scholar of Netherlandish art. Above all, the book reveals how Rembrandt drew ideas for his art from Italian masters, whose works were known to him primarily through prints, and transformed them into a distinct language of his own in a way that pays homage to his sources but with a twist of visual commentary […] One can read the book as a series of essays or use it for reference with the benefit of its up-to-date bibliography. In sum: highly recommended." - C. W. Talbot, emeritus, Trinity University, in: Choice Reviews, Vol. 58, No. 10 (June 2021)"This publication is sure to be a necessary resource for any scholar looking to understand one of the most fertile and creative minds of the seventeenth century and the numerous influences that contributed to his endlessly compelling oeuvre." - Jacquelyn Coutré, Art Institute of Chicago, in: Renaissance and Reformation, Vol. 44, No. 2 (2021), pp. 248–250"This is a generous book, clearly aimed at sharing the wealth of information and knowledge Golahny has amassed over the years and at offering a solid, balanced foundation on which future generations may develop new analyses and interpretations. With its comprehensive bibliography, thorough citations, and even explicit guidance on how Golahny’s discussions relate to the existing literature, it is a highly valuable reference for any student of Rembrandt’s work. Its ample illustrations support the author’s visual arguments and make the book accessible to those less familiar with the material." - Joanna Sheers Seidenstein, Harvard Art Museums, in: HNA Reviews, November 2021"An accessible and stimulating book. [Golahny’s] informed, wide-ranging, sensitive, and above all intelligent presentation of ideas formed over the course of her career offers ample rewards for a variety of readers, those well versed in Rembrandt studies or new to them." - Catherine B. Scallen, Case Western Reserve University, in: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 4 (Winter 2023), pp. 1491–1493

• PrefaceAcknowledgementsList of Illustrations1 Prologue: Setting the Stage1 Who Did, or Did Not, Travel to Italy2 Dutch Artists Who Painted Italy at Second Hand3 Jacob van Swanenburg and Pieter Lastman in Italy4 Advice about Travel5 On the Road in Italy: Nicholas Stone Jr.6 The Material Evidence: Collecting Italian Art in Holland7 Van Mander’s Account of Remarkable Italian Paintings in Dutch Collections8 A Sampling of Amsterdam Collections: 1630–16609 Rembrandt at the Art Market10 A Contrast in Collecting: Joachim von Sandrart in Amsterdam and Bavaria2 Attitudes: Critical, Admiring, and Curious toward Rembrandt1 Rembrandt’s Acquaintances Condemn His Disregard for Italian Values: Huygens, Sandrart and De Lairesse2 Pels, De Decker, and De Geest: Polarizing Attitudes3 Rembrandt’s Singular Manner: Houbraken4 Rembrandt’s Naturalism in Stefano della Bella’s Model Books5 Rembrandt’s Goal in Art3 Rembrandt’s Collection and How He Used It: the Canonical and the Unusual1 Drawing from the Original: Mantegna, Leonardo, Raphael, Titian2 Reminiscences and Variations3 Life Study Fused with Art4 Sculpture as Substitute for Life Study4 Pragmatic Solutions1 Borrowed Plumes Easily Disguised2 The Supper at Emmaus of c. 16293 Rembrandt and the Madonna of the Rosary: Structuring the Stage4 Judas Returning the 30 Pieces of Silver: Caravaggio and Leonardo da Vinci5 Two People in One Frame5 Appropriating for Commentary: Rembrandt’s Critique of Titian, Raphael, and Leonardo1 Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple: the 1626 Painting and the 1635 Etching2 The Hundred Guilder Print: Exploiting Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo6 Appropriation and Deviation: Responding for Alternatives1 Diana and Actaeon with Callisto and Nymphs: Referencing the Italians2 The Flute Player and Flower Girl: an Alternative to Titian3 The Female Nude7 Rembrandt Perceived by the Italians: Castiglione, the Ruffo Collection, and La Maniera Gagliarda1 Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione: Inspired Improvisations2 Rembrandt’s Ruffo Series3 Abraham Brueghel’s Intermediary Role in the Ruffo Commissions4 Guercino: Business-like, Efficient, and Respectful5 Preti: Grudging Accommodation6 Salvator Rosa: Independent, Arrogant, and Uncooperative7 Brandi: Eager to Please8 La Maniera Gagliarda9 Baciccio: the Last WordBibliography