Abraham Entertaining the Angels by Rembrandt van Rijn

Self-Portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn, Self-Portrait, oil on canvas, 1659, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Andrew W. Mellon Collection 1937.1.72

Personal troubles continued to mount. Geertje Dircx, Titus' nurse, became Rembrandt's companion. When he abandoned her, Geertje successfully sued him for breaking his promise to marry her. Rembrandt was ordered to pay her an annual stipend. His housekeeper, Hendrickje Stoffels, had already replaced Geertje as his companion.

An economic depression and Rembrandt's free spending—he was an avid art collector—worsened his financial situation. By 1656 Rembrandt was nearly bankrupt. Between 1656 and 1658 much of his property was auctioned off, perhaps including the copperplate for Abraham Entertaining the Angels.