Catalog raisonné · Attribution · Corpus
How many works did Rembrandt create?
Paintings, drawings and etchings: count without simplifying.
The answer depends on what you count: the preserved works, the creations formerly attributed to the master, the engraved plaques, their states or each print on paper. Here are the reference numbers and why they continue to evolve.
See the numbersUnderstand counting
The short answer
Around 1,300 works preserved
The modern corpus associates with Rembrandt approx 350 paintings, 600 to 700 drawings today considered autographs and close to 300 engraved compositions. The addition gives an order of magnitude of 1,250 to 1,350 works preserved.
However, this figure does not measure all of its production. Works have disappeared, drawings have been thrown away or scattered, and an engraved plaque can produce several states and hundreds of prints. Conversely, old catalogs included many student works. Counting Rembrandt therefore amounts to defining the author, the medium and the unit of calculation.
Paintings
Number retained by Ernst van de Wetering's catalog raisonné in 2014 for Rembrandt alone or Rembrandt with a student.
Drawings
Modern order of magnitude, much lower than the approximately 1,450 sheets once published as autographs by Otto Benesch.
Prints
Around 300 plates or compositions; many more proofs if we count the states and impressions.
Surviving works
An indicative total, not a closed inventory: corpora do not all use the same criteria.
Before adding
What is a Rembrandt "work"?
The three media are not counted in the same way. A canvas is generally a single object; a drawing can have a front and a back; an engraved plaque produces several states, themselves known from numerous prints.
Autograph
The work is executed by Rembrandt himself. This is the category sought by modern catalogs raisonnés.
Atelier
A student works under his authority, using models or exercises. Stylistic proximity can be very strong.
Collaboration
The master and an assistant can intervene on the same table. Some catalogs create an intermediate category.
Condition and printing
For the print, the same modified plate produces several states; each press release gives a distinct impression.
Essential rule: 300 prints do not mean 300 sheets of paper. This number approximately refers to the compositions or engraved plates. The prints preserved number in the thousands.
I · Paintings
Why choose around 350 paintings?
The sixth volume of Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, published in 2014 under the direction of Ernst van de Wetering, contains 350 paintings considered by the author as works by Rembrandt or as collaborations between Rembrandt and a student. This is the reference most often used for the recent painted corpus.
This is not a universal vote. Some museums or specialists accept a work that the corpus excludes, or vice versa. The "Rembrandt and student" category itself shows that the boundary between individual author and workshop practice is not always clear.
A discovery from 2026 reminds us that the corpus is moving
In March 2026, the Rijksmuseum reallocated to Rembrandt The Vision of Zechariah in the Temple, dated 1633, after two years of analysis. Pigments, layer construction, compositional modifications, signature and convergent dendrochronology. The painting was excluded from the corpus in 1960 and had not been studied for sixty-five years.
Why not just write 351? Because a new attribution is not mechanically added to a stationary list. Other works can be reclassified, and catalogs do not use exactly the same categories.
The attribution history
From more than 600 paintings to around 350
588 paintings
The dealer and author John Smith published a catalog comprising 588 paintings, part of which is known only from ancient descriptions.
630 paintings
Abraham Bredius illustrates 630 works. The authority of the connoisseur and confidence in the signatures still leave ample room for the workshop.
A tight corpus
Horst Gerson sharply reduces Bredius' list. The modern debate on the teacher, students and papers takes on a new dimension.
Rembrandt Research Project
X-rays, dendrochronology and collective examination re-evaluate the works. Paintings are rejected, then some are reinstated.
350 paintings
Volume VI of Corpus offers Ernst van de Wetering's personal synthesis, sometimes more inclusive than the first volumes.
Zechariah reassigned
The Rijksmuseum demonstrates that research can still bring back a long-stayed work in the master's corpus.
Some landmarks from the painted corpus
Hundreds of paintings, not a single style
Portraits, biblical scenes, landscapes, tronies, self-portraits and collective portraits bear witness to a career spanning more than forty years.
II · The drawings
About 600-700 sheets now recognized
Drawing is the most difficult category to count. Few sheets are signed, students draw the same models and attributions are often based on the quality of the line, the materials, the provenance and the comparison with reliable works.
In the 1950s, Otto Benesch published approx 1,450 drawings as autographs. Subsequent research has reallocated a considerable part of it. Modern estimates tend to revolve around 600 to 700 drawings accepted, but the new catalog raisonné led by Martin Royalton-Kisch remains a work in progress. It is therefore more honest to give a range than a falsely precise figure.
How many did he actually draw? Probably several thousand. His 1656 inventory mentions albums and packages of drawings. Working paper was fragile, mobile and rarely intended for systematic preservation.
Why are the drawings so disputed?
An attribution without signature or invoice
The same workshop
Students observe Rembrandt, copy his sheets and sometimes draw the same models. The proximity is therefore not surprising.
Ordinary materials
Pen, chalk, ink and paper are not unique to a single artist. Material analysis helps to date, rarely to name the author alone.
The front and back
A sheet can carry several studies. Depending on the catalog, you can count the sheet, the faces or the compositions.
Old corrections
Collectors and restorers have reinforced lines, cut out leaves or added inscriptions that complicate the examination.
The style changes
A quick sketch doesn't look like a completed study. Rembrandt's variety makes any single criterion dangerous.
The research continues
The catalogs of Berlin and the Rijksmuseum have reclassified numerous sheets formerly given to the master.
III · Etchings and prints
Nearly 300 compositions, thousands of prints
The Metropolitan Museum of Art estimates that Rembrandt created approx 300 etchings and dry tips between 1626 and 1665. Specialized catalogs can give a slightly different total depending on the fragments, reworked plates and attributions.
The word "etching" simplifies his work. Rembrandt frequently combines etching, drypoint and chisel. He modifies the plate between two prints, changes the inking and prints on European, Japanese or vellum papers. A single composition can therefore exist in several states and produce visually different proofs.
| What's counting | Unit | Consequence |
|---|---|---|
| The composition | An engraved subject | The total remains close to 300. |
| The plate | A copper matrix | A plate can be reworked or sometimes cut. |
| The state | An identifiable step of the plate | The same work may have two, six or more states. |
| The impression | A sheet put to press | There are thousands of prints in world collections. |
Three plates, three ways
The print as a variable work
Add carefully
Most defensible total today
| Category | Order of magnitude | What the number means | Main uncertainty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paintings | About 350 | Autograph works or collaborations retained by the recent corpus | Workshop, reassignments and differences between specialists |
| Drawings | About 600 -700 | Leaves generally accepted today | Corpus still under review, unsigned works and close students |
| Prints | About 300 | Engraved compositions or plates | Catalog states, fragments and definitions |
| Total | About 1,250 -1,350 | Surviving works associated with his hand | An estimate, not a complete production record |
Recommended answer: "About 1,300 works by Rembrandt are preserved or recognized today: almost 350 paintings, 600 to 700 drawings and around 300 distinct prints." Always add that attributions continue to evolve.
What is missing from the calculation
Lost, destroyed or unidentified works
Paintings missing
Old inventories and descriptions mention paintings whose current location is unknown. Some compositions only survive through copies.
Working drawings
Paper is fragile. Studies, essays and sketches could be thrown away, cut out, donated or used by the workshop without entering a collection.
Lost plates
Some of the brass has disappeared; other plates were acquired, retouched and printed after Rembrandt's death.
Works under other names
An authentic work may remain classified as a workshop or follower until a new study provides sufficient evidence.
Overvalued workshop works
The opposite movement exists: paintings and drawings once admired like Rembrandt are now returned to students.
Projects never executed
An idea described or drawn does not prove that a definitive picture existed. We must distinguish between project, lost work and uncertain testimony.
Where to study the three corpora?
Museums, graphic arts firms and databases
Rembrandt Database
Technical documentation and access to volumes Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings.
Rijksmuseum
Twenty-two paintings, dozens of drawings and around 1,300 prints of some 300 engraved compositions.
Rembrandt House
An essential venue for prints, technical demonstrations and the material history of the workshop.
British Museum
One of Rembrandt's major international collections of drawings and prints.
Metropolitan Museum
Open Access paintings, drawings and prints, accompanied by detailed technical instructions.
Drawing cabinets
Works on paper are sensitive to light and often appear only during temporary rotations.
Explore the painted corpus
Rembrandt's works in the store
Reproductions of Rembrandt
Portraits, biblical scenes, self-portraits and large formats from the Golden Age.
1642The Night Watch
Rembrandt's most famous collective portrait.
1632The Anatomy Lesson
A documented order which launched his fame in Amsterdam.
1654Bathsheba in the bath
A history painting focused on inner conflict.
Around 1668 -1669The Return of the Prodigal Son
A late work constructed by gesture and material.
Self-portraitRembrandt facing himself
The artist's face as a laboratory and public image.
Frequently asked questions
Count the works of Rembrandt
How many works did Rembrandt do in total?
If we add up the modern corpora, around 1,250 to 1,350 surviving works are generally associated with his hand: almost 350 paintings, around 600 to 700 drawings now recognized and around 300 engraved compositions. This total remains an estimate, as attributions evolve.
How many of Rembrandt's paintings are known?
The sixth volume of the Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings published in 2014 retains 350 paintings considered by Ernst van de Wetering as Rembrandt or Rembrandt with a student. Later discoveries and reattributions prevent this number from being transformed into definitive truth.
How many of Rembrandt's drawings are preserved?
Specialists today generally retain around 600 to 700 autograph drawings. Otto Benesch had cataloged around 1,450 in the 20th century, but a large part has since been reallocated to anonymous students, followers or artists.
How many etchings did Rembrandt create?
Rembrandt created around 300 plates or engraved compositions between the years 1620 and 1665. The number of prints is much higher, because a plate can be printed many times and exist in several states.
Are etching and a print the same thing?
The print is the image printed on paper. Etching is one of the techniques used to work the plate. Rembrandt often combines etching, drypoint and chisel in the same work.
Why is the number of Rembrandt's works changing?
His workshop had many students, some works are unsigned and his style has evolved significantly. The study of provenance, support, pigments, x-rays and pictorial manner therefore regularly leads to confirming or ruling out attributions.
Are all Rembrandt works authentic?
No. A signature may be old without being in the hand of the master, have been added or appear on a workshop work. It must be examined with all material and historical evidence.
How many self-portraits did Rembrandt take?
The count varies depending on the attributions, but the whole includes several dozen paintings, more than twenty prints and around ten drawings. This is the most developed corpus of self-portraits of its century.
Have any works by Rembrandt disappeared?
Yes. Paintings are known from documents or old copies, drawings have been lost and several copper plates have disappeared or been reworked. The preserved corpus is therefore inferior to its actual production.
Where to consult reference catalogs?
The Rembrandt Database provides access to the Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings and technical documentation. The Rijksmuseum publishes its drawing catalogs, while the New Hollstein remains a major reference for prints.
Sources and method
For paintings: Rembrandt Database, catalogs of the painted work and Rijksmuseum, reallocation of Zechariah's Vision, 2026.
For drawings: Rijksmuseum, Drawings by Rembrandt and his School and revision of the catalog raisonné of drawings. For prints: Metropolitan Museum of Art and Rijksmuseum, All the Rembrandts.
The five new images of drawings and prints come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and are marked as Open Access and public domain. The other old works are in the public domain; photographs of the Rembrandt House under free licenses already credited in the complete biography. All images are clickable.
Article verified and published on July 30, 2026. Ranges are preferred over exact false figures when the catalog remains under review.
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