A lasting impression: How I got a Rembrandt tattoo that will last a lifetime

AMSTERDAM (AP) — Three years ago, I covered a story on Rembrandt van Rijn that left a lasting impression on me.

“The Poor Man's Rembrandt Project” brought together a group of tattoo artists who inked designs by the Dutch Golden Age master on visitors to his former home in Amsterdam, now a museum. I'd never even thought about getting a tattoo, but suddenly the idea appealed to me.

The 2023 pop-up at the Rembrandt House Museum was such a success that it is back for a second run this fall, and this week I went back to get another lasting impression. This time in ink.

It combines Rembrandt with another celebrated Dutch artist — tattooer Henk Schiffmacher, also known around the tattoo world as Hanky Panky.

“The poor man’s Rembrandt, I always liked that," Schiffmacher said. "Because that’s what we are. We supply something which lasts the rest of your days and goes with you into the grave.”

Schiffmacher has tattooed celebrities including the members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Lady Gaga. An internet search suggests he also inked Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain, but Schiffmacher says he can’t confirm that. A lot of rock stars passed through Amsterdam in the 1980s and ’90s and many of them stopped by.

I'm no rock star, but add my name to the list of happy Hanky Panky clients.

I'm sitting in a room of the museum, located inside the stately building where Rembrandt lived and worked on many of his greatest paintings. My left hand is resting on Schiffmacher's leg to keep my arm steady as his needle whirrs. After about a half hour and much less pain than I feared, it's done.

A surprised looking Rembrandt, his lips slightly pursed under his youthful mane of curly hair stares out of my arm. The design is based on an etching called “Self-Portrait with Beret, Wide-Eyed” and is dated 1630, when Rembrandt was still in his early 20s and lived in the university city of Leiden.

Painters like Rembrandt, “they’ve made beautiful and simple drawings — studies for their bigger work, and so it’s very tattooable,” Schiffmacher said.

That means that a Rembrandt-inspired artwork is now available for a tiny fraction of the eye-watering prices shelled out for a real painting by the man himself. Mine cost me 200 euros ($222).

I knew my arm was in good hands. Over a career spanning decades, Schiffmacher has inked countless biceps, triceps, legs, backs and other body parts. His designs have appeared on everything from the cover of Red Hot Chili Peppers album “Blood Sugar Sex Magik” to traditional blue-decorated Dutch Delft pottery and even a passenger jet operated by an international airline company.

Matt Lodder, a senior lecturer in art history at the University of Essex, said Schiffmacher is a highly respected member of the tattoo community not just for his ink work, but also his dedication to collecting historic artifacts and organizing early conventions that brought together like-minded artists long before tattooing went mainstream.

Back then, Schiffmacher was one of the few people “who cared about tattooing enough to make sure its visual, cultural heritage was kept and looked after and not chucked in the bin,” Lodder said.

Rembrandt House Museum director Milou Halbesma compares Schiffmacher to Rembrandt.

“I think they’re both very iconic people and they’re very iconic in their trade as well," she said. "And what I like so much about Henk Schiffmacher is that in Amsterdam he’s a total hero, everybody knows him, but he’s also world famous. And in a way Rembrandt is a real Amsterdam hero, but also world famous, actually larger than life.”

It's that combination that had me cycling across Amsterdam to get my first tattoo.

“Welcome to the world of the freaks,” Schiffmacher said as he put the finishing touches to the work and flashed me a broad smile dominated by his golden front teeth.

“The Poor Man's Rembrandt Project” runs through Nov. 7 at the Rembrandt House Museum. Tattoos range in price from 100-350 euros ($111-389).

Tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher poses for a photo in a studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher tattoos a self-portrait of Dutch artist Rembrandt onto the arm of Associated Press journalist Mike Corder in a studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Sketches by Dutch artist Rembrandt that could serve as the basis for a tattoo are displayed in a studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher tattoos one of Dutch artist Rembrandt's sketches onto the arm of a client in a studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

Tattoo artist Henk Schiffmacher tattoos a self-portrait of Dutch artist Rembrandt onto the arm of Associated Press journalist Mike Corder in a studio in the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Patrick Post)

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Eyes red and voice soft, Drew Rasmussen stood in front of his locker.

“Failure sucks. And to be this close, it's really, really hard,” the Tampa Bay Rays pitcher said. “That's the best team I've played at the major league level.”

Predicted by many to finish at or near the bottom of the AL East, the Rays reached the World Series for the third time but remain without a title. Their year ended Wednesday night with a 4-1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 5, leaving them among four teams without a title along with Colorado, San Diego and Seattle.

“They’re banged up and hurting right now,” manager Kevin Cash said of his players.

An expansion team that started in 1998, the Rays also lost in the World Series to Philadelphia in 2008 and to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020. The only other clubs to lose in their first three Series appearances were the Brooklyn Dodgers (0-7) and Detroit Tigers (0-4), according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It hurts knowing that you got this close, you got this far," closer Bryan Baker said.

A 31-year-old right-hander who has had three major elbow operations, Rasmussen started on short rest and allowed one run and two hits over four innings. He left with a 1-0 deficit.

After the final out, Rays players stayed in their dugout to watch the Brewers celebrate.

“It should be motivating, right?” Baker said. “You got to use this motivation to keep working.”

Tampa Bay led the AL East from mid-May and topped the American League with 98 wins.

“We didn't end at the bottom of the division,” Yandy Díaz, who has been with the Rays since 2019, said through a translator. “Those papers at the beginning of the year, those projections at the beginning of a year, we had the chance to rip them and we did.”

Tampa Bay has a $20 million option on Rasmussen, while right-handers Freddy Peralta and Nick Martinez are eligible to become free agents.

“We’re scrappy. We fought hard all year,” Baker said. “We’ve picked ourselves up off the canvas and fought tooth and nail to be here.”

See AP’s full MLB coverage here

Tampa Bay Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda looks towards the third base umpire after being called out on strikes during the eighth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays' Yandy Díaz reacts after making an out during the eighth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

The Tampa Bay Rays watch during the ninth inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill celebrates their win in baseball's World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen walks to the bullpen before Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen throws during the first inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen throws during the first inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)

Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt connects for an RBI single off Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen during the second inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen celebrates during the first inning of Game 5 of baseball's World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)

Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero takes batting practice prior to Game 4 of baseball's World Series, Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla., between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Drew Rasmussen throws during first inning of Game 2 of baseball's World Series, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Milwaukee, between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf)