Though Rembrandt's study of the Bible has long been recognized, his interest in secular literature has been relatively neglected. In this volume, Amy Golahny uses a 1656 inventory to reconstruct Rembrandt's library, discovering anew how his reading of history contributed to his creative process. In the end, Golahny places Rembrandt in the learned vernacular culture of seventeenth-century Holland, painting a picture of a pragmatic reader whose attention to historical texts strengthened his rivalry with Rubens for visual drama and narrative erudition.

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