3-102-301 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

'Equestrian Portrait', 1663?, (1967). Alternative title: Portrait of Frederick Rihel on Horseback. This is one of the largest paintings ever made by Rembrandt, and one of only two life-size equestrian portraits of ordinary citizens in the history of Dutch art. The rider has been identified as the prosperous businessman Frederik Rihel. His bright yellow jerkin, fancy gloves, shimmering sleeves and plumed hat stand out radiantly against the rather gloomy, sketchy background. A procession is winding around a stretch of water behind Rihel. On the left is the facade of one of the gates to the city of Amsterdam, and in front of this is a coach with a bright interior carrying three passengers. This probably represents the procession accompanying the entry of Prince William of Orange into Amsterdam in 1660, in which Rihel participated as one the Amsterdam Guard of Honour. Painting in the National Gallery, London. From "Rembrandt" by Ludwig Münz and Bob Haak, [Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1967]