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.

Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters

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  • 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
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  • Bredius, A., The Paintings of Rembrandt,no. 32 p. 3
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  • 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
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  • 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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Additional Artwork by Artist

Beggar Leaning on a Stick, Facing Left Rembrandt van Rijn c. 1630
Christ at Emmaus: the Larger Plate Rembrandt van Rijn 1654 (Basan impression)
Clement de Jonghe, Printseller Rembrandt van Rijn 1651

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