Seeing the invisible in Rembrandt’s St. Matthew and the Angel

Rembrandt painted a portrait of St. Matthew as part of a series of five apostle portraits in 1661. The painting depicts an elderly St. Matthew at a writing desk with a pen in his hand while an angel whispers into his ear.

Father Michael Rennier notes that Rembrandt was in his mid-50s and facing financial insolvency when he created this work.