Rembrandt van Rijn, the son of a well-to-do miller from the university town of Leiden, was, by the age of twenty-six, Holland`s most celebrated painter, and he has remained an artist of universal appeal. Rembrandt made his name in Amsterdam, capital of the newly independent Dutch Republic and a magnet for merchants, writers and artists. No one understood its possibilities better than Rembrandt, or captured its personalities and landscapes more memorably. Whether tracing the highs and lows of Rembrandt`s career or explaining the unique qualities of his work, Marit Westermann`s book is always lucid and perceptive. Based on the latest Rembrandt research, it demonstrates splendidly how a contextual study can stimulate the reader`s delight in the art itself.