Rembrandt's Money

PREFACE V
INTRODUCTION XVII
REMBRANDT – TIMELINE XXIX

I Child of his time 1
1 Towards the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands 3
1 1 Introduction 3
1 2 Leiden 3
1 3 Amsterdam 12
1 4 The Dutch Golden Age 15
2 The Van Rijn family in Leiden 21
2 1 Introduction 21
2 2 The mill 21
2 2 1 Origins of the mill 22
2 2 2 Exploitation of the mill 24
2 2 3 Property of the mill 25
3 Rembrandt’s early c.v. 27
3 1 Introduction 27
3 2 Birth 27
3 3 Name 28
3 4 Home 30
3 5 School and university 32
3 6 Apprenticeship 35
3 6 1 Jacob Isaacsz van Swanenburgh 36
3 6 2 Pieter Lastman 38

II The young entrepreneur 41
4 A young independent master in Leiden 43
4 1 Introduction 43
4 2 Rembrandt’s business as an independent master 44
4 3 Jan Lievens: Business partner or competitor? 46
4 4 A renowned client: The Stadholder family 48
4 5 His first pupils: Gerrit Dou and Isaac de Jouderville 52
4 6 The move to Amsterdam 53
5 The Uylenburgh years 57
5 1 Introduction 57
5 2 Reasons to choose Amsterdam 57
5 3 The period at Hendrick Uylenburgh’s art studio 60
5 3 1 The Breestraat 60
5 3 2 The Uylenburgh dynasty 61
5 3 2 1 First contact between Rembrandt and Hendrick Uylenburgh 63
5 3 2 2 The 1,000 guilders loan 64
5 3 2 3 The Uylenburgh art studio – arrival and departure 66
5 3 3 Working at the Uylenburgh art studio 68
6 Saskia Uylenburgh 77
6 1 Introduction 77
6 2 Who is Saskia? 77
6 3 Marriage to Rembrandt 79
6 4 Marriage in Friesland and property consequences 82
6 5 Their joint will 87
6 6 Family affairs 89

III Independent master in Amsterdam 91
7 Business as usual 93
7 1 Introduction 93
7 2 Rembrandt’s own practice 94
7 3 The Rembrandt v Huygens controversy: Rembrandt’s seven letters 102
8 Telling legal matters 113
8 1 Introduction 113
8 2 The mill in the inheritance of Rembrandt’s mother 113
8 3 Rembrandt’s masterpiece: The Night Watch 115
8 4 Death of Saskia and her will 120
9 Rembrandt’s house and studio 127
9 1 Introduction 127
9 2 The sales contract 128
9 3 History of the house, its owners and the neighbourhood 129
9 4 The house: A financial millstone around Rembrandt’s neck? 131
10 The messy break-up with Geertje Dircx 135
10 1 Introduction 135
10 2 Who is Geertje Dircx? 136
10 3 Breach of promise of marriage 139
10 4 Imprisonment in the Spinhuis in Gouda 144

IV Prelude to insolvency 147
11 Life continues 149
11 1 Introduction 149
11 2 Professional activities and transactions 149
11 3 Family affairs 153
11 4 Who is Hendrickje Stoffels? 156
12 Financial turmoil surfaces 159
12 1 Introduction 159
12 2 The house and its financial entanglements 160
12 2 1 Rembrandt’s urgent need for cash 160
12 2 2 Rembrandt facing his debts 165
12 3 Provisional summary 167
13 Rembrandt, Titus and the house 169
13 1 Introduction 169
13 2 Payment and ownership of the house 169
13 2 1 Remission of the house 170
13 2 2 Remaining purchase price due 171
13 3 Rembrandt’s démarches with the house 174
13 3 1 ‘Transfer’ of the house to Titus 174
13 3 2 Legal qualification of this act by Rembrandt towards Titus 175
13 3 3 Were Rembrandt’s acts detrimental to his creditors? 181

V Insolvency: proceedings and their settlement 185
14 Cessio bonorum 187
14 1 Introduction 187
14 1 1 What is cessio bonorum? 188
14 1 2 Rembrandt’s application for cessio bonorum 193
14 1 3 Position of Titus, his guardian and his will 194
14 1 4 Causes for the application for cessio bonorum 198
14 2 Insolvency law in Holland in the 17th century 201
14 2 1 Chamber of Abandoned and Insolvent Estates 203
14 2 2 Creditors 204
14 2 3 Inventory 205
14 2 4 Other assets 208
15 Position of Titus, his guardian and Saskia’s will 213
15 1 Introduction 213
15 2 Orphans’ law in Holland in the 17th century 213
15 2 1 Orphan Chamber 214
15 2 2 Guardianship 215
15 3 Depositions regarding ownership of Titus’ assets 215
15 4 Lawsuit: Van Hertsbeeck v Crayers 220
15 5 Closing the work of the Orphan Chamber 224
16 Liquidation of the estate and distribution of the dividends 225
16 1 Introduction 225
16 2 Financial settlement of Rembrandt’s estate 226
16 3 Sales of inventory 229
16 4 Selling the house 237
16 4 1 Object of the sales: The house 237
16 4 2 The purchase price 239
16 4 3 The buyers 240
16 4 4 Transferring and vacating the house 240
16 5 Distribution of proceeds among creditors 241
16 6 Closing the insolvency case 244

VI Starting anew – a phoenix company? 247
17 A ‘company’ 249
17 1 Introduction 249
17 2 Company law in 17th century Holland 249
17 3 Agreement establishing a compagnie 251
17 4 Legal consequences of the compagnie 255
18 Hendrickje Stoffels 263
18 1 Introduction 263
18 2 Hendrickje’s background 263
18 3 Hendrickje passes away; her will 264
19 Transactions and affairs 269
19 1 Introduction 269
19 2 Rembrandt’s creditors 269
19 3 Rembrandt’s continuing business 270
19 4 Rembrandt’s ongoing conflicts 276

VII The final years 283
20 Titus and his family 285
20 1 Introduction 285
20 2 Legal and financial matters 285
20 2 1 Titus’ legal maturity 286
20 2 2 Marriage of Titus and Magdalena van Loo 289
20 3 Death of Titus and his will 290
20 4 Death of Magdalena and inventory of her estate 292
21 Rembrandt’s passing away 293
21 1 Introduction 293
21 2 A financially down-and-out and misunderstood artist? 293
21 3 Passing away and funeral 294
21 4 Rembrandt’s inheritance 296
21 4 1 Granddaughter Titia 297
21 4 2 Conflict between the guardians of daughter Cornelia and granddaughter Titia 298
22 End of the Van Rijn line 303

EPILOGUE 307

WINDOWS 329
Window [01] Language in the Republic 330
Window [02] Currency in the Republic 332
Window [03] Eighty Years’ War (1568-1648) 333
Window [04] The Synod of Dordrecht 335
Window [05] Nicolaes Ruts 337
Window [06] Act of Abandonment (Plakkaat van Verlatinghe) 338
Window [07] City’s civil patrol (schutterij) and the Night Watch 340
Window [08] Dutch market with huge demand for paintings 342
Window [09] Apprenticeship (as a painter) 344
Window [10] Rembrandt Research Project 346
Window [11] Rembrandt’s production 349
Window [12] Rembrandt’s pupils 351
Window [13] The Guild of Saint Luke and Training 353
Window [14] Portraiture; self-portraits 354
Window [15] Profitability of painting 355
Window [16] 17th century private international law: Conflicts of law 356
Window [17] 17th century law of persons and family law 358
Window [18] Selling methods of paintings 360
Window [19] 17th century law of property and security rights 361
Window [20] Prices for paintings 364
Window [21] Income of painters 366
Window [22] Orphan Chamber (Weeskamer) in Amsterdam 368
Window [23] Sint Antoniesluis and the (Joden)breestraat 370
Window [24] Rembrandt’s house: pre-Rembrandt 372
Window [25] The Belten family 373
Window [26] The Thijs family 374
Window [27] Rembrandt’s house: Rembrandt period 375
Window [28] Rembrandt’s house: post-Rembrandt 376
Window [29] The Holland court system 377
Window [30] Credit in 17th century and payment of transactions 378
Window [31] 17th century inheritance law 380
Window [32] 17th century contract law 382
Window [33] The Desolate Boedelskamer Amsterdam 384
Window [34] Decline of the market for paintings 386
Window [35] The Pinto conflict 387
Window [36] 17th century law relating to matrimonial property 388
Window [37] 17th century insolvency law 389
Window [38] The Amsterdam City governance 391
Window [39] Royal Palace Dam Square 393
Window [40] Public auction 394
Window [41] Bankruptcy – ‘Faillissement’ – a reminder for terminology 395
Window [42] 17th century law of partnerships and company law 397
Window [43] Syndics of the Drapers Guild (‘De Staalmeesters’) 399
Window [44] Rembrandt rehabilitated? District Court Amsterdam 1931 400
Window [45] Rembrandt as a Dutch national hero 402

APPENDICES

Bibliographical sources 405
Index of names of persons 439
Index of legal and financial themes and terms 449