The concord of the state
Rembrandt·1642
Historical Context
Rembrandt painted The Concord of the State around 1641, an unusual political allegory in an oeuvre dominated by portraits, biblical narratives, and mythological subjects. The painting depicts allegorical figures representing unity and harmony in the Dutch Republic during the tensions that preceded the Stadtholderless period following the death of William II in 1650. Rembrandt's engagement with political allegory was rare and suggests either a specific commission from a civic or governmental patron or his own patriotic response to the political anxieties of the moment. The Dutch Republic of the 1640s was experiencing significant constitutional tensions between the Republican faction led by Johan de Witt and the Orange-Nassau Stadtholders; the allegory of concord addresses these tensions directly. Now in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the painting provides an unusual glimpse of Rembrandt's engagement with the public political culture of his republic alongside his predominantly private artistic concerns.
Technical Analysis
The monochrome grisaille technique, using only tones of gray and brown, demonstrates Rembrandt's ability to create complex spatial and narrative effects through tonal values alone.
Look Closer
- ◆Notice the grisaille technique — the entire composition rendered in tones of gray and brown, demonstrating that spatial and narrative effects can be achieved without color.
- ◆Look at how tonal values alone create the spatial recession and compositional hierarchy across the allegorical composition.
- ◆Observe the political allegory expressed through symbolic figures: this is the Dutch Republic's self-image made visible in the year before The Night Watch.
- ◆Find the loose, exploratory brushwork appropriate to a grisaille sketch — this is Rembrandt thinking through composition rather than presenting a finished statement.
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