A Man in Armour (Alexander the Great) by Rembrandt van Rijn

A Man in Armour (Alexander the Great) - Rembrandt van Rijn - Canvas Oil Painting

Product Overview

A Man in Armour (Alexander the Great) - Rembrandt van Rijn - Canvas Oil Painting brings gallery-caliber art into everyday spaces. This fine art oil painting is a 100% hand painted oil painting on canvas, created for buyers who want genuine classical canvas wall art instead of a mass-produced poster or paper print.

Composition & Subject

1655
Oil on canvas
137.5 cm (54.1 in) x 104.5 cm (41.1 in)
Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, United Kingdom.

The oil on canvas masterpiece, A Man in Armour by Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–69) dating from about 1655, is the highlight of the Dutch collection and one of the greatest paintings in Glasgow. With great power and poignancy, Rembrandt has depicted a young man literally weighed down with heavy armour and weapons and appearing to have profound thoughts of battles ahead. Significantly, this soldier’s armour, circular shield and lance are all of a style essentially obsolete by the 1650s, when this painting was made. This suggests that he is to be understood as a figure from the past. His helmet, evoking antiquity, is an invention by the artist - mixing the rear neck-guard of a contemporary cavalry helmet with a brow plate and crest in a style then considered to be characteristically classical.

Who the man in the painting is has been a matter of continuing debate. Classical heroes, like Achilles, or Gods, like Mars and Apollo, have been proposed while warrior goddesses such as Bellona and Pallas Athene (the Roman Minerva) have also been suggested by virtue of the subject’s youthful features and prominent pearl earring. The latter claim is supported by the presence of an owl – a symbol sacred to Athene - embossed in the armours brow plate. However the probable subject of the painting is actually the successful Macedonian king Alexander the Great. He was famed for his intellect, youth and military prowess and, like many soldiers in classical antiquity, revered Athene – all of which are represented here.

As office wall decor, the piece pairs naturally with other classical wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.

How It Is Made

Oil on canvas remains the reference standard for classical reproductions. Our artists apply pigment by hand, blending the fine art tones directly on the surface for depth that a printed fine art oil painting simply cannot match.

What Is Included

• Genuine hand painted oil painting on premium artist canvas; no printing or digital imaging is used.
• Supplied with a 2-inch blank border on all four sides for flexible home office display options.
• Sold studio-direct and shipped worldwide, with no intermediary markup.
• Available canvas sizes for this hand painted oil painting: 20 X 24 in, 24 X 36 in, 30 X 40 in, 36 X 48 in, 48 X 72 in.
• Made-to-measure options are available for this fine art canvas.
• Multiple low-cost carriers available, including DHL, UPS, FedEx and USPS.
• Free canvas stretching on wooden stretcher bars; custom framing available on request.
• You will receive a photo of your completed painting by email for sign-off prior to shipping.

Where to Hang It

classical canvas wall art is one of the easiest ways to warm a home office. Pair this piece with natural linen, dark wood, or brushed brass, and let the hand painted surface do the rest.

Delivery, Sizes & Guarantee

Browse our Rembrandt van Rijn Paintings selection for related fine art canvases, or commission this fine art image in a custom size. Every order is a hand painted oil painting, never a printed poster.