Rembrandt as sheperd with staff and flute by Govert Flinck

Govert Flinck · 1636-01-01

At the Rijksmuseum hangs a painting titled 'Rembrandt as Shepherd with Staff and Flute.' But Rembrandt did not paint it. The artist was Govert Flinck, who studied under Rembrandt in Amsterdam and made this portrait in 1636, when Flinck was barely twenty years old.

Look at the gold buttons on the dark jacket. Each one catches the light slightly differently, a small, quiet piece of skill from a painter still learning but already impressive. The hands on the flute are painted with the same attention: the fingers sit exactly where a musician's would.

Flinck absorbed Rembrandt's signature chiaroscuro, the way forms emerge from deep shadow into warm light. He went on to become one of Amsterdam's most successful painters, at times more sought-after than his teacher.

The painting entered the Rijksmuseum in the 19th century and remains there, a portrait of the master, made by a student who had already learned the trick.

Details

Dressed as a shepherd: a flower garland, a dangling gold earring.

His hands hold a wooden flute, fingers placed with precision.

The instrument is held with delicate precision, highlighting the musician's skill and the tactile quality of the wood.

The long staff, resting on his shoulder, anchors the figure and emphasizes his pastoral role.

Transcript

Amsterdam, 1636. A young painter made a portrait of Rembrandt. Dressed as a shepherd: a flower garland, a dangling gold earring. His hands hold a wooden flute, fingers placed with precision. The painter was twenty. He already knew how light catches gold. Rembrandt's face. Painted by someone who was not Rembrandt.