''The Standard Bearer'' is a three-quarter-length self-portrait by

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

formerly in the Paris collection of Elie de Rothschild, and purchased by the

Rijksmuseum The Rijksmuseum () is the national museum of the Netherlands dedicated to Dutch arts and history and is located in Amsterdam. The museum is located at the Museum Square in the borough of Amsterdam South, close to the Van Gogh Museum, the S ...

for 175 million euros with assistance from the Dutch state and Vereniging Rembrandt in 2021. It was painted on the occasion of the artist's move from

Leiden Leiden ( ; ; in English language, English and Archaism, archaic Dutch language, Dutch also Leyden) is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Provinces of the Nethe ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

and is seen as an important early work that "shows Rembrandt's ambition to paint a group portrait for the Amsterdam

militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

, at the time the most valued commission a painter could be awarded." Rembrandt's flag bearer has several copies in oil, and later prints may be from such copies, but this painting nevertheless has a provenance reaching far into the 18th-century. It was documented as a self-portrait by

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

in 1836, who wrote:

Cornelis Hofstede de Groot Cornelis Hofstede de Groot (9 November 1863 – 14 April 1930), was a Dutch art collector, art historian and museum curator. Life He was born in Dwingeloo and spent some time in Switzerland in his youth due to weak lungs, where he learned German ...

agreed with him in 1914, but stopped short of calling it a self-portrait. He wrote:

2022 acquisition by the Netherlands

In 2019 the painting has been classified as a national treasure of France, so an export bar was in place for 30 months, while the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

tried to raise funds to buy the painting. The museum was unable to do so and waived its right of first refusal for purchase. In December 2021, the Dutch state announced its intention to buy the work for the national collection. As result, the

Rothschild family The Rothschild family ( , ) is a wealthy Ashkenazi Jews, Ashkenazi Jewish noble banking family originally from Frankfurt. The family's documented history starts in 16th-century Frankfurt; its name is derived from the family house, Rothschild, ...

sold the painting to the Netherlands for €175 million in 2022. The Dutch government paid €150 million, while the Rembrandt Association and the

contributed a total of €25 million. It was bought from the Rothschild family, who had owned it since 1844, via a trust located in the tax haven of the

Cook Islands The Cook Islands is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 15 islands whose total land area is approximately . The Cook Islands' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) covers of ocean. Avarua is its ...

. ''The Standard Bearer'' is to tour every province in the Netherlands before going on display at the Rijksmuseum's Gallery of Honour. It was acquired during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

amid media coverage of failing income for the Netherlands' cultural sector. The painting was shown at the Rijksmuseum in 2019 and had attracted the museum's interest since France agreed to let the painting leave the country. The painting toured the Netherlands in 2022 and 2023.

Notable copies

File:Rembrandt follower - The Flag Bearer.jpg, Version in Kassel File:Standard Bearer 1636.jpg, Copy of the Kassel copy, damaged File:Rembrandt studio - Copy of Standard-Bearer, P.A.B. Widener 2018 NYR 15654 0011.jpg, Version in Widener collection File:Ferdinand Bol - De Vaandeldrager, ca. 1636, British Museum.jpg, Version by

Ferdinand Bol Ferdinand Bol (24 June 1616 - 24 August 1680) was a Dutch painter, etcher and draftsman. Although his surviving work is rare, it displays Rembrandt's influence; like his master, Bol favored historical subjects, portraits, numerous self-portraits, ...

File:Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669) (copy after) - The Standard-Bearer - 1439056 - National Trust.jpg, Version in

Philipps House Philipps House (until 1916 Dinton House) is an early 19th-century Neo-Grecian country house at Dinton, overlooking the Nadder valley about west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, England. The house was built in 1816 by William Wyndham to the designs ...

The Standard Bearer
National Trust, Philipps House, Dinton, gift from Bertram Philipps, 1943 in

Art UK Art UK is a cultural, education charity in the United Kingdom, previously known as the Public Catalogue Foundation. Since 2003, it has digitised more than 300,000 paintings, sculptures and other artworks by more than 53,700 artists. It was found ...

File:Vaandeldrager, RP-P-1908-365.jpg, Mezzotint by Pieter Louw File:Johann Peter Pichler - Mezzotint nach Rembrandt 1791.jpg, Mezzotint by Johann Peter Pichler

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Standard Bearer (Rembrandt, 1636), The

Standard Standard may refer to: Symbols * Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs * Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification Norms, conventions or requirements * Standard (metrology), an object ...

2021 in the Netherlands 1636 paintings Paintings in the Rijksmuseum

2022 acquisition by the Netherlands

Notable copies

See also

References