The Jewish Bride

Rembrandt painted this couple in the mid-1660s, toward the end of his life. We do not know who they are. The title 'The Jewish Bride' was given to the painting in the 18th century, but there is no evidence that the subjects are Jewish or that they are bride and groom. They may be a biblical couple, possibly Isaac and Rebecca, or they may be real people from Amsterdam dressed in costume. A man and a woman stand together, slightly larger than life-size. The man, on the left, rests his hand on the woman's chest. She reaches up and touches his hand with hers. Both look out at the viewer with quiet, serious expressions. The man wears a russet-gold cloak with a gold chain. The woman wears a green-gold dress with a red belt and a white headdress. Behind them, a dark background, painted in browns and blacks, pushes the figures forward. The tenderness of the gesture is what makes this painting famous. The man's hand on the woman's chest is not possessive. It is protective. Her hand on his is not pulling away. It is resting. The painting captures a moment of private affection between two people who are aware they are being watched but do not care. Vincent van Gogh, when he saw this painting in 1885, wrote that he would give up ten years of his life to sit in front of it for two weeks with only a crust of bread to eat. Rembrandt was in his late fifties when he painted this. He had been bankrupt in 1656, forced to sell his house and his collection at auction. His common-law wife Hendrickje Stoffels had died in 1663. His son Titus would die in 1668, a year before Rembrandt himself. The paintings of this last decade are the most personal and the most loosely painted of his career. The brushwork is thick and free, the colors are warm and dark, and the faces are built in very few strokes. Oil on canvas, 122 by 167 centimeters, roughly 48 by 66 inches. Rembrandt used his characteristic impasto, building the gold cloak in thick ridges of paint that catch the light. The man's left hand is painted with astonishing economy: a few strokes of pink and brown, and the fingers are there. The woman's headdress is a whisper of white over the green-gold dress. This print works in a bedroom or a hallway, where the intimacy of the gesture can be appreciated up close. The warm golds and dark background suit a room with low light, warm-toned walls, and wood furniture. The 16x20 framed version is large enough to see the brushwork in the hands and faces. In a larger space, the 18x24 canvas print gives the figures the presence they deserve. The painting has been in the Rijksmuseum since 1816. It is on permanent display in the Gallery of Honour, opposite The Night Watch.