Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol (born about 1599, died 1671 or later)

Rembrandt's portrait of Lieven Willemsz van Coppenol from 1626, an early work painted in Leiden before his move to Amsterdam, depicts a writing master who was also an amateur poet — a combination that placed him in the middling intellectual culture of Dutch provincial cities. Van Coppenol was proud of his calligraphic skill and commissioned several portraits over the decades; Rembrandt's early version, painted when he was barely twenty, shows the influence of his teacher Pieter Lastman in its careful, somewhat stiff execution. The portrait is significant as documentation of Rembrandt's early Leiden style before the fluid confidence of his Amsterdam period; the sitter's later patronage of other painters allows comparison of how different artists captured the same man across time.

The early portrait on oak panel shows Rembrandt's youthful precision, with careful attention to the sitter's features and costume. The face is modeled with warm, naturalistic tones and the eyes are rendered with the sharp, animated quality that would remain a hallmark of Rembrandt's portraits throughout his career.