When Rembrandt van Rijn died, aged 63, lonely, bankrupt and neglected, there was little sign that he’d become such a central figure in the history of European art. His early fame had faded. His work no longer commanded high prices. Unable to pay his bills, he’d been evicted from his home and studio.

The nation where this revival started wasn’t his native Netherlands but Great Britain.

Yet today he’s universally revered. What happened? Well, since his death, in 1669, his reputation has grown and grown, and the nation where this revival started wasn’t his native Netherlands but Great Britain.

Rembrandt – Britain’s Discovery of The Master at the Scottish National Gallery tells the story of this renaissance. It begins with one of his acute self-portraits – his first work to leave the Netherlands when it was given to Charles I in 1633. It ends with gutsy works by Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff, two of the many British artists he’s inspired.

What drove this reappraisal? As usual, a big factor was money. Rembrandt’s career coincided with Holland’s Golden Age, an era of commercial prowess. Yet in the 18th Century Dutch fortunes dwindled while the British economy took off. Now Dutch paintings were cheap and British toffs had cash to burn. Built by Robert Adam, their new mansions had lots of wall space. A Rembrandt above the fireplace was a sign of wealth and taste.