#56: Rembrandt
The Night Watch and his other masterpieces made Rembrandt the most famous painter in the Netherlands in the 1600s. Wealthy clients paid well for his portraits. He bought a grand house in Amsterdam on credit and filled it with art, armor, and rare objects from around the world.

As his work fell out of fashion, the debts caught up with him. In 1656, he went bankrupt, and his house and treasures were sold at auction. He moved to a small rented home, where his son helped protect him from creditors. Rembrandt died poor in 1669.
