Jan Uytenbogaert, Preacher of the Remonstrants

This seated portrait of a bearded man wearing a cap and dressed in a large ruff and a fur stole depicts Johannes Uytenbogaert, the spiritual leader of the Remonstrant party. Though Rembrandt van Rijn was brought up in the Dutch Reformed Church, he appears to have been broadminded and independent in his religious beliefs. He took commissions from several prominent clerics in Dutch society, including the subject of this print, who opposed the Calvinist position on predestination-the view that God foresees and predetermines the outcome of all things. Because of his strong convictions, Uytenbogaert was forced to flee The Netherlands. The printed caption at the bottom of the print informs the viewer of the preacher's return from exile.