Aristotle with a Bust of Homer 1653

Name: Aristotle with a Bust of Homer 1653
Brand: Rembrandt Van Rijn
SKU: aristotle-with-a-bust-of-homer-1653
Price: 222 USD
Availability: InStock

Rembrandt Van Rijn

Item Number: 29956

$

Rembrandt paints Aristotle at half-length, resting his right hand thoughtfully on a marble bust of Homer that sits on a low table at the left. He wears a long pale robe with a heavy gold chain across ...

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Features “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer 1653” by Rembrandt Van Rijn

Overview
Author	Rembrandt Van Rijn
Color	Black, White, Beige, Brown, Gray
Tags	anatomy, dissection, lecture, medicine, education, group portrait, doctors, historical, science, learning, surgery

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Description “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer 1653” by Rembrandt Van Rijn

Rembrandt paints Aristotle at half-length, resting his right hand thoughtfully on a marble bust of Homer that sits on a low table at the left. He wears a long pale robe with a heavy gold chain across his chest. The drawing of the face and the hand on the bust is patient; the room behind is held in deep warm shadow. The colour is held to warm cream of the robe, saturated gold of the chain and a deep brown ground.

In a home, the picture suits a study, a library, a tall hallway, or a wall opposite a single reading chair. The vertical proportion fits well between two doorways.

As an oil painting on canvas, the deep dark of the room and the warm gold of the chain depend on real paint to keep their balance — print tends to flatten the dark passages. A dark wood or aged-gilt frame is the most coherent pairing. Frame and canvas hardware can be paired during the order stage. Buyers can opt for matte or satin final varnish during the order stage.

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What is the meaning of Rembrandt's "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer"?

The painting shows the Greek philosopher Aristotle in elaborate dress resting his hand on a marble bust of Homer, the blind poet whose epic works Aristotle had studied and admired. The meditative gesture suggests a chain of intellectual inheritance and admiration across time, with Aristotle paying tribute to a poet who preceded him as Rembrandt himself pays tribute to the philosophers who formed Western thought.
How does Rembrandt use light and texture to give this painting its extraordinary presence?

Rembrandt lavishes the canvas with his most sumptuous handling of paint — the gold chain around Aristotle's neck, the rich embroidered fabric of his gown, and the contrasting cool marble of Homer's bust are all rendered with extraordinary tactile richness. The characteristic Rembrandt light falls from above, casting half the philosopher's face in warm shadow and giving the whole scene a deeply contemplative, almost candlelit quality.
Who commissioned "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer" and how did it travel to New York?

The painting was commissioned in 1652 by the Sicilian nobleman Antonio Ruffo, who assembled a remarkable collection of Rembrandt's work. It was purchased by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York in 1961 for what was then a record price for any painting sold at auction — a measure of its status as one of Rembrandt's supreme masterworks.
What intellectual atmosphere does this painting bring to a library or study?

Few paintings speak more directly to the pleasures and seriousness of intellectual life — the image of a great philosopher contemplating his debts to an even greater poet is a perfect emblem for any space dedicated to books, learning, and the life of the mind. Its rich, warm palette and meditative mood make it both beautiful and philosophically resonant.

Additional Information “Aristotle with a Bust of Homer 1653” by Rembrandt Van Rijn

“Rembrandt painted two great minds across the centuries in dialogue — and the hand resting on Homer’s bust is one of the most eloquent gestures in all of Western art.” — The Metropolitan Museum of Art

“This is not a portrait — it is a meditation on wisdom, fame, wealth, and what endures.” — Simon Schama, Rembrandt’s Eyes

#1. A Commission from Sicily. Aristotle with a Bust of Homer was commissioned by Don Antonio Ruffo of Messina, Sicily — making it one of the very few Rembrandt works painted for a known Italian patron. Ruffo later also commissioned a Guercino and an Alexander the Great from Rembrandt.

#2. The Chain of Knowledge. The golden chain around Aristotle’s neck was a gift from his pupil Alexander the Great — linking the three figures in a chain of historical transmission: Homer the blind poet, Aristotle the philosopher who taught Alexander, Alexander the conqueror who spread Greek civilisation.

#3. The Most Expensive Rembrandt of Its Time. When the Metropolitan Museum of Art purchased Aristotle with a Bust of Homer at auction in 1961 for $2.3 million, it was the highest price ever paid at auction for any painting — a record that held for several years and caused a sensation.

Best placements include a formal living room, a library, or a hallway — the portrait reads well there. It can also lead the eye down a hallway as the visual anchor at the far wall. Pair it with deep green walls and leather chairs for a traditional room. A portrait of this kind carries the room without competing visual elements crowding it. Place it at viewing height; the detail rewards a close look.

Hand-painting it well means committing to the texture of fabric folds and then refining the tonal shift from cool half-tone to warm highlight. The artist tests color on a separate surface before committing to the canvas. For portraits, getting the eyes and mouth right is more important than any other detail. Painted by hand in oil, the reproduction keeps the visible brushwork the original is built on.

Figures are arranged in a careful grouping, balanced across the canvas. Light enters at a deliberate angle, supporting the composition without competing with it. Black, white, beige, and brown dominate the surface, and the painting reads with a clear chromatic identity. The surface carries a controlled finish, with small shifts in handling across the picture. The arrangement settles quickly into a clear visual shape, and the smaller decisions support rather than compete.