Rembrandt's Portrait: A Biography

by Charles L. Mee Jr.

The first pure biography of this enigmatic legend, Rembrandt's Portrait is a fascinating detective story in which, clue by clue, the man himself emerges as never before. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671622137
• ISBN13: 9780671622138
• Release Date: April 1988
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Anatomy of Excellence

I'm very surprised that this book has no reviews. I'm reading it in preparation for a trip to Amsterdam. It is a wonderful, wonderful book. We don't know a lot about Rembrandt or his life, but Lee quilts the pieces together in a delightful narrative which seamlessly knits together the historical record with speculation. It also sets the stage for analysis of his masterpieces: if you didn't really "get" Nightwatch before, Lee tells you why it was like a bolt of lightning. Also, Lee exposes the dark side of the art world (finance) in the historical setting of Holland in the 17th century. Prior to this book, I knew a little bit about art, but nothing about Rembrandt. Now, I am very much looking forward to the museums in Amsterdam. Moreover, the tone of the book has that magical quality of being intelligent and witty at just the right places. I rarely laugh out loud when reading, but Lee cracked me up to the point of wanting to have dinner with him (Lee) and/or sending him money over top the price of the book. Perhaps I could do a portrait for him? A flattering, 3/4-length piece at the reasonable sum of 600 guilders?