Rembrandt turns 420 in 2026, and on October 23 the Morgan Library & Museum in New York opens an exhibition that asks an unexpected question: What were lions doing in his art? The answer is about migration, exile, and a city where most people were newcomers. If you’re considering a Rembrandt poster for your wall, the exhibition is a good reason to look beyond the famous self-portraits and discover etchings, drawings, and an animal that became a nation.
Quick facts: The exhibition “Rembrandt's Lions: Art and Exile in the Dutch Republic” is on view at the Morgan Library & Museum, 225 Madison Avenue, New York, from October 23, 2026 to January 31, 2027. The curator is Sarah Mallory. Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669) lived in Amsterdam, where up to 60 percent of residents in the 17th century came from elsewhere. The etching “Saint Jerome Reading in an Italian Landscape,” from around 1653, measures 259 × 210 mm and was purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan in 1905.
Rembrandt’s Lions and Amsterdam as a City of Newcomers
Most people know Rembrandt for The Night Watch from 1642 and for his self-portraits, in which his face ages in dark, warm light. The Morgan’s exhibition turns its gaze elsewhere. Led by curator Sarah Mallory, it brings together drawings, etchings, and paintings shown together for the first time, along with the museum’s own rarely exhibited impressions of Rembrandt’s etchings and selected loans. The theme is migrants, immigrants, exile, and flight in his world, and the lion is the key.
The lion was the symbol of the young Republic, an animal that represented both its people and its territories. It appears in Rembrandt’s etchings, often in stories of exile, refuge, and seeking shelter in a new country. The museum’s text says the exhibition aims to reveal the many “lions” that irreversibly shaped him. This expresses the idea that Rembrandt was not a lone genius in a studio, but an artist shaped by trade, religious flight, and encounters between people from across Europe.
The statistic that makes the context concrete is that up to 60 percent of Amsterdam’s residents in the 17th century came from elsewhere. The Republic was a center of religious and political tolerance, but freedom was not equal for everyone, especially not in the Dutch colonies. The museum also describes how the very definition of what was “Dutch” was still taking shape during Rembrandt’s time. Seeing his art through that lens makes the subjects feel close to our own time, when migration and belonging are still being debated.
Tip: Want a Rembrandt that tells more than just "old master"? Choose an etching or drawing with a distinctive animal or biblical scene, and put it in a narrow black frame. The poster then becomes a conversation starter about exile, refuge, and the role of animals in 17th-century images.
Young Lion Resting: the animal from the Amsterdam menagerie
One of the most beloved lion images is the drawing Young Lion Resting, dated to around 1638–42. Smithsonian Magazine reported in 2025 that Rembrandt likely saw the lion in a menagerie in Amsterdam, a traveling animal exhibition whose animals had been brought from North Africa on merchant ships belonging to the Dutch East India Company. The drawing is owned by a private collector who, according to the article, plans to sell it at auction in 2026 to benefit big cat conservation through the organization Panthera.
What makes the drawing special is how little it takes. A few quick, shifting lines are enough to capture how a large predator rests, its body heavy and its face sleepy yet alert. If he stood close to the animal while drawing it, as the article suggests, you can see it in the way the lines follow the muscles rather than an idealized image. For viewers today, it’s a reminder that the Dutch Golden Age was a world of global trade routes, where an animal from Africa could stand on a city street in Amsterdam.
As a poster, the lion drawing is one of the most versatile Rembrandt images for the home. It has a clear subject, uses few colors, and works in every size from 21x30 to 50x70. Since the lines are free and the light comes more from the paper than from the color, it can hang in both light and dark rooms without feeling heavy. You can find similar animal motifs in our cats and animals collection.
"The lion was the symbol of the republic, and in Rembrandt’s etchings it becomes an animal woven into stories of flight and refuge."
Saint Jerome in an Italian Landscape: the etching J. Pierpont Morgan bought in 1905
Morgan’s own website highlights the etching Saint Jerome Reading in an Italian Landscape, dated to around 1653. It was made using etching and drypoint on Japanese paper, measures 259 × 210 millimeters, and was purchased by J. Pierpont Morgan in 1905. The choice of Japanese paper is no minor detail: Rembrandt sometimes used thin, warm-toned papers that gave the blacks in his lines a soft, almost velvety quality, something that fine art-quality prints can still emulate.
The image shows the Church Father Jerome, often associated with a lion at his side, absorbed in a book beneath a tree. The lion in the legend is his loyal companion, part of a story about how a wild animal learned to live close to a human. In Rembrandt’s hands, the scene becomes an image of stillness and refuge, a place to be at peace, which could just as well be about a refugee who has found a new home.
The proportions are worth considering when choosing a poster. The etching’s width-to-height ratio, 210 to 259, is close to 4:5, the same proportion as 40x50. This means that a 40x50 poster with a narrow white border gives roughly the same feel as the original’s small format, without cropping the image. Read more about choosing a frame and mat in our guide to mats.
Etching and drypoint: why Rembrandt’s blacks look like velvet
The Morgan’s catalog text about the Jerome etching mentions two techniques: etching and drypoint. In etching, acid bites lines into a copper plate, creating clean, even strokes. In drypoint, the artist scratches directly into the metal with a sharp needle, raising a small burr along the side of each line. When the plate is inked, the burr holds more ink, and the line prints as a soft, flowing black rather than a hard stroke. That effect is what makes Rembrandt’s shadows so deep and thick.
For those choosing a poster, this means print quality makes a big difference. Matte, acid-free paper with high resolution reproduces the nuances between light and bold strokes, while glossy paper tends to flatten them. Look at the corners and shadows in the image before you buy: if they appear as a uniform black blot, the reproduction lacks the tonal richness of the original. Read more about which paper weight and finish to choose in our buying guide to paper quality and printing.
The exhibition or a wall at home: build your own little Rembrandt wall
You don’t have to travel to New York to get a taste of the experience. The Morgan Library & Museum is located at 225 Madison Avenue, but you can create your own small group at home based on the same idea: one theme, three images, one setting. For example, choose a lion, a biblical scene, and a portrait, and hang them in a vertical row or a small triangle. The story lies in the combination, not in a single iconic image.
Keep the sizes consistent, preferably 30x40 or 40x50, and use the same frame for all of them. The spacing should be even, around five centimeters, so the group reads as a whole. Place the group with its center at eye level, about 145–150 centimeters from the floor, and consider adding a small lamp with warm light beside it to echo the way museums illuminate prints. If you want to take it further, add a small card with the year and technique next to it, turning the wall into a small exhibition. You could also add a line about why you chose those particular three images, since this is the same method curators use when they let works explain one another and create a story visitors can follow from one image to the next.
Rembrandt on the wall: black-and-white etchings, dark light, and the right size
Rembrandt’s etchings are essentially black and white, which makes them unusually easy to place. They work best among black-and-white posters, where their fine lines and deep shadows can play off each other without colors drawing attention. A pair of black-and-white Rembrandt motifs beside a simple photograph creates a tension between the 17th century and the present day that many collectors appreciate.
In the living room, a larger print, 50x70 or 70x100, works well above a low piece of furniture such as a chest of drawers or a side table. In the study and library, smaller etchings are a good fit, where you can get close and appreciate the lines. Hieronymus with his book belongs among the books, and a lion motif can bring a calm, reassuring presence to the hallway or bedroom. Our artworks by famous artists are collected in one place, so you can compare masters side by side.
Rembrandt also has a particular ability to stand out in rooms with darker walls. His images are built on the contrast between deep shadow and light, and a dark background enhances it. On a light wall, the poster needs a white border or a mat to keep the lines from losing their impact. If you’d like to learn more about Rembrandt’s relationship with his contemporary in Haarlem, you can read our article on Hals and Rembrandt in Haarlem.
Choose the frame and glass with care. A slim black frame or dark oak gives the etchings a classic look, while a white frame gives them a more modern feel. Make sure the glass doesn't reflect a window directly toward the viewer, as the etching's fine lines can easily disappear on a glossy surface. All our frames are gathered in one place. Sources and further reading: the Morgan Library & Museum's exhibition page and Smithsonian Magazine's article about the lion drawing.
Frequently asked questions about Rembrandt and the lion exhibition
Want to give a piece of 17th-century Amsterdam a place in your everyday life? Start with our artworks by famous artists, choose a lion, biblical scene, or portrait, and try it in black and white or as a pair. A Rembrandt poster is a conversation starter about exile, refuge, and the animals that accompanied people.