NARRATOR:
At every stage of his life, from exuberant youth to destitute old age, Rembrandt looked into the mirror and painted what he saw. Here he’s in mid-thirties, well on his way to becoming the most successful portraitist in 17th-century Holland. He observes us—and himself—with confidence. His brow wrinkles slightly, suggesting thoughtfulness and intelligence. With a conscious awareness of his heritage, he’s costumed himself in the velvet beret and gold chain worn by the great court artists of the Renaissance.
Rembrandt earned his place in history in part by his masterful use of light. Notice how the face, in infinitely subtle stages, emerges from shadow. He began with brown underpainting that has become visible through the darker background over the years. Then, like a sculptor with clay, he modeled and built towards the light areas with layer after layer of paint. You can see the Individual brushstrokes in the creases around his eyes or the lines of his forehead. Highlights on the heavy chain around his neck and the smaller one adorning his beret actually stand out in relief. This was a hallmark of Rembrandt’s portraits: they were often so thickly painted, that one contemporary remarked, you could “pick them up by the nose.” Unfortunately, the success and contentment reflected in this picture were short-lived. Just a few years later, Rembrandt’s beloved wife died and bankruptcy loomed
Self-Portrait
c. 1636-38
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
On View
Rembrandt was his own favorite model, and there is no moment in the artist's biography that he did not vividly represent. Rembrandt portrays himself here in the characteristic beret that had been associated with the artistic milieu since the sixteenth century. The chain around his neck was a symbol of prestige awarded to artists, often by a noble patron. The combination of elegant attire and an artist's attributes elevates Rembrandt to the status of a fine artist. This distinction was important at a time when artists were only beginning to realize their social standing among the creative elite.
Details
- Artist Name: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
- Title: Self-Portrait
- Date: c. 1636-38
- Medium: Oil on panel
- Dimensions: 24-7/8 x 19-7/8 in. (63.2 x 50.5 cm)
- Credit Line: The Norton Simon Foundation
- Accession Number: F.1969.18.P
- Copyright: © The Norton Simon Foundation
Object Information
Mary, 2nd Countess of Bradford (?), Weston Park, Stafford, England, in 1735 inventory, case no. 3, item no. 25, by inheritance to her daughter;
Diana Newport Coote (d. 1766, 6th Countess of Mountrath, by inheritance to;
George Damer (d. 1808), 2nd Earl of Dorchester, Milton Abbey, Dorsetshire, held in trust for his sister;
Caroline (d. 1829), Lady Damer, Milton Abbey, Dorsetshire, by inheritance to her cousin;
Henry John Ruben Dawson-Damer (1822-1889), 3rd Earl Portarlington, Emo Court, Leix, Ireland (sale, London, Christie’s, 28 June 1879, no. 89, sold for £1312:10s to);
Albert Levy (sale, London, Christie’s, 3 May 1884, no. 56, sold for £1890 to;
[Martin Colnaghi, London, sold 1884 to];
Arthur Pemberton Heywood-Lonsdale (d. 1897), Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire, by descent to his son;
H. Heywood-Lonsdale, Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire, by inheritance to his son;
Lt. Col. Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale (b. 1900), Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire (sale, London, Christie’s, 27 June 1969, no. 70, sold to);
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Diana Newport Coote (d. 1766, 6th Countess of Mountrath, by inheritance to;
George Damer (d. 1808), 2nd Earl of Dorchester, Milton Abbey, Dorsetshire, held in trust for his sister;
Caroline (d. 1829), Lady Damer, Milton Abbey, Dorsetshire, by inheritance to her cousin;
Henry John Ruben Dawson-Damer (1822-1889), 3rd Earl Portarlington, Emo Court, Leix, Ireland (sale, London, Christie’s, 28 June 1879, no. 89, sold for £1312:10s to);
Albert Levy (sale, London, Christie’s, 3 May 1884, no. 56, sold for £1890 to;
[Martin Colnaghi, London, sold 1884 to];
Arthur Pemberton Heywood-Lonsdale (d. 1897), Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire, by descent to his son;
H. Heywood-Lonsdale, Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire, by inheritance to his son;
Lt. Col. Arthur Heywood-Lonsdale (b. 1900), Shavington, Market Drayton, Shropshire (sale, London, Christie’s, 27 June 1969, no. 70, sold to);
The Norton Simon Foundation.
Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters
- London, Royal Academy, 1878 to 1878
- Benesch, O., Rembrant: Werk und Forschung, p. 19
- Brown, C., Rembrandt,pl. 16
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best,2010, cat. 654 p. 323
- Dutuit, E., L'oeuvre complet de Rembrandt, p. 142
- Bredius, A., Rembrandt: The complete edition of the paintings,no. 32 p. 549
- White, C., The Burlington Magazine, p. 266
- Morse, John D., Old Master Paintings in North America,1979, p. 230
- Bredius, A., The Paintings of Rembrandt,no. 32 p. 3
- Wright, C., Rembrandt: Self-Portraits,pl. 67 pp. 27, 42, 132
- Volker Manuth, Marieke de Winkel, Peter Schatborn, Erik Hinterding, Rembrandt: The Complete Paintings,2019, fig. 156 p. 608 ; pp. 191, 608 (ill.)
- Michel, E., Rembrandt,no. 432 p. 235
- Christie's Review of the Year 1968/69, pp. 28-29
- Liedtke, W., The Burlington Magazine,note 13 p. 460
- Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum,1989, p. 81
- Gelder, J. van, Rembrandt en zijn Portret, p. 28
- Schwartz, G., Rembrandt-zijn leven, zijn schilerijen,
- Bode, W. von; & C. Hofstede de Groot, The Complete Works of Rembrandt,no. 175
- Nash, J., The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer,no. 56
- Gerson, Horst, The Connoisseur, pp. 164, 166
- Bode, W. von, Studien zur Geschichte der holländischen Malerie,1883, p. 246
- Gelder, J. van, The Burlington Magazine, p. 328
- Schwartz, Gary, Rembrandt, His Life, His Paintings, p. 193
- Valentiner, W., Rembrandt die Meisters Gemälde,no. 241
- Johnson, B.; & T. Cairns, Analytical Chemistry,fig. 6, 7 p. 26
- Wright, Christopher, Rembrandt,fig. 333
- Wurzbach, A. von, Rembrandt Galerie,1886, no. 235
- Pinder, W., Rembrandts Selbstbildisse, pp. 73, 76
- Guillaud, J., Rembrandt: The Human Form and Spirit, p. 625
- Hofstede de Groot, C., A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century,no. 576
- Selleck, J., Faces, p. 40
- Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project, A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Vol. IV,fig. 235, fig. 1 pp. 242-244, 263-270, 605-607
- Bauch, Kurt, Rembrandt Gemälde,1966, no. 313 p. 16
- Hall, H. van, Portretten van Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstnaars,no. 51 p. 268
- Bruyn, J., et al., A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, pp. 619-624
- Weisbach, W., Rembrandt, p. 85
- Fowkes, C., The Life of Rembrandt,fig. 64 p. 72
- Curtis, Cathy, LA Now,2004, pp. 10-13
- Gerson, Horst, Rembrandt Paintings,1978, No. 229 p. 497
- Gerson, Horst, Rembrandt Paintings,no. 229
- Brown, C., et al., Rembrant: the Master and his Workshop (Paintings), p. 360
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