Introduction

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[Music]

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[Music]

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hi everyone my name is Danielle and I’m

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the collections manager and curatorial

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associate at the Aga we’re continuing

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our tour of the exhibition Leiden circa

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1630 Rembrandt emerges and now we’re

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looking at an artwork by one of

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Rembrandt’s students this was his second

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pupil in Leiden and his name is Isaac do

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you Turville taking on pupils was really

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a sign of Rembrandt’s success it

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signaled that he was skilled and

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knowledgeable and had you know artistic

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skill to pass on to students the subject

Rembrandt takes on pupils

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matter of a scholar in her studio was a

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common one is a common one found in

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several of Rembrandt’s students work so

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it was likely that this was a studio

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exercise he assigned the composition is

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very similar to Rembrandt’s own work but

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the use of light and the depiction of

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the figure is very unique – do you

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Darrell himself so Minerva or this work

Minerva

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is called Minerva in her study Minerva

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was the Roman goddess of wisdom warfare

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and weaving he or she is depicted as

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more scholarly than more like as sheaves

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poring over a large book now Leiden was

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had a really active print industry and a

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prominent University so that’s kind of

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focused on large volumes and as enough

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scholar in their study would have really

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appealed to the citizens of that city we

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also have a close attention to beautiful

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fabrics so both in the tablecloth and in

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the robe that Minerva is wearing its

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fur-lined it’s ornamented and it has a

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bejeweled clasp so this might have been

Medusa

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based on fabric he would have seen in

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the city and would have appealed to

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collectors who were making their

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fortunes in the textile trade now if you

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look very closely in the shadowy

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background you’ll see a shield with a

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depiction of Medusa so this connects to

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minerva’s own associations with warfare

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at the time it also would have been a

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reminder of the context of war from

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which the local university had a rose

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the Leiden University was offered was

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offered as a reward to the city by

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Prince William for their defence against

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violent Spanish attacks in the late 16th

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century so I hope you’ve enjoyed this

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look at one of Rembrandt’s students work

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and join me for our last stop of the

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tour

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[Music]

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you

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