Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born on the 15th of July 1606 in the Dutch city of Leiden. Between 1620 and 1625 he trained as an artist under the painters Jacob van Swanenburgh and Pieter Lastman in Amsterdam. His education over, Rembrandt returned to Leiden where his artistic career began and by 1628 he had students of his own.
In 1631 Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam, where he began painting large biblical and mythological scenes and an abundance of portraits. In 1634 he married Saskia van Uylenburgh who sadly died eight years later, after which Rembrandt's work-rate slowed and he painted no more portraits other than of himself.