Rembrandt, geëtst portret van de schilder Jan Asselijn, alias Krabbetje.

The Bent members assign each other nicknames, referred to as Bent names. A bit of banter, some teasing or even bullying: it’s all part of the game. But how far can you go? The nicknames sometimes refer to striking or unusual physical features.

For example, Jan Asselijn is called ‘Krabbetje’ (that is, little crab), because of his deformed hand with which he could barely hold a painter’s palette.

Portrait of Jan Asselijn, Bent name Krabbetje. Collection Rijksmuseum.