Petrus Sylvius (?)

Rembrandt van Rijn (mentioned on object), 1637

The sitter’s flamboyant beret once led people to assume that he was a painter, for instance Gerard Dou or Ferdinand Bol, pupils of Rembrandt. However, he is probably Petrus Sylvius, a first cousin of Rembrandt’s wife, Saskia. Sylvius was a preacher, who was appointed to lead a congregation in Friesland in 1637, and his departure may well have occasioned this portrait.

  • Artwork typeprint
  • Object numberRP-P-OB-518
  • Dimensionsheight 97 mm x width 83 mm
  • Physical characteristicsets