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

  • London, Royal Academy, 1878 to 1878

Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters

  • London, Royal Academy, 1890 to 1890

Exhibition of Pictures, Drawings, Furniture and Other Objects of Art

  • Burlington Fine Arts Club, 1936 to 1937

Exhibition of 17th Century Art in Europe

  • London, Royal Academy, 1938 to 1938

Rembrandt

  • National Gallery of Scotland, 1950-08-20 to 1950-09-09

Drie Eeuwen Portret in Nederland

  • Rijksmuseum, 1952-06-29 to 1952-10-05

Rembrandt

  • Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, 1956-01-12 to 1956-04-15

Rembrandt After Three Hundred Years

  • Art Institute of Chicago, 1969-10-25 to 1969-12-07
  • Minneapolis, Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 1969-12-22 to 1970-02-01
  • Detroit Institute of Arts, 1970-02-24 to 1970-04-05

Exhibition of Works by Rembrandt

  • London, Royal Academy, 1899-01-02 to 1899-03-11

Rembrandt Portraits

  • Art Institute of Chicago, 2019-03-03 to 2019-06-09

Encountering the Dutch Likeness: Portraiture in 17th Century Holland

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1993-09-02 to 1996

Rembrandt Etchings

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1978-08-10 to 1980
  • Michel, E., Rembrandt, no. 432 p. 235
  • Hofstede de Groot, C., A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, no. 576
  • Weisbach, W., Rembrandt, p. 85
  • Gelder, J. van, The Burlington Magazine, p. 328
  • Gerson, Horst, Rembrandt Paintings, no. 229
  • Selleck, J., Faces, p. 40
  • Brown, C., Rembrandt, pl. 16
  • Bruyn, J., et al., A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, pp. 619-624
  • White, C., The Burlington Magazine, p. 266
  • Liedtke, W., The Burlington Magazine, note 13 p. 460
  • Gerson, Horst, The Connoisseur, pp. 164, 166
  • Wright, Christopher, Rembrandt, fig. 333
  • Bode, W. von, Studien zur Geschichte der holländischen Malerie, 1883, p. 246
  • Dutuit, E., L'oeuvre complet de Rembrandt, 1885, p. 142
  • Wurzbach, A. von, Rembrandt Galerie, 1886, no. 235
  • Bode, W. von; & C. Hofstede de Groot, The Complete Works of Rembrandt, 1903, no. 175
  • Valentiner, W., Rembrandt die Meisters Gemälde, 1909, no. 241
  • Benesch, O., Rembrant: Werk und Forschung, 1935, p. 19
  • Bredius, A., The Paintings of Rembrandt, 1937, no. 32 p. 3
  • Pinder, W., Rembrandts Selbstbildisse, 1943, pp. 73, 76
  • Gelder, J. van, Rembrandt en zijn Portret, 1945, p. 28
  • Hall, H. van, Portretten van Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstnaars, 1963, no. 51 p. 268
  • Bauch, Kurt, Rembrandt Gemälde, 1966, no. 313 p. 16
  • Gerson, Horst, Rembrandt Paintings, 1968, No. 229 p. 497
  • Bredius, A., Rembrandt: The complete edition of the paintings, 1969, no. 32 p. 549
  • Christie's Review of the Year 1968/69, 1969, pp. 28-29
  • Nash, J., The Age of Rembrandt and Vermeer, 1972, no. 56
  • Johnson, B.; & T. Cairns, Analytical Chemistry, 1972, fig. 6, 7 p. 26
  • Fowkes, C., The Life of Rembrandt, 1978, fig. 64 p. 72
  • Morse, John D., Old Master Paintings in North America, 1979, p. 230
  • Wright, C., Rembrandt: Self-Portraits, 1982, pl. 67 pp. 27, 42, 132
  • Schwartz, G., Rembrandt-zijn leven, zijn schilerijen, 1984,
  • Schwartz, Gary, Rembrandt, His Life, His Paintings, 1985, p. 193
  • Guillaud, J., Rembrandt: The Human Form and Spirit, 1986, p. 625
  • Masterpieces from the Norton Simon Museum, 1989, p. 81
  • Brown, C., et al., Rembrant: the Master and his Workshop (Paintings), 1991, p. 360
  • Stichting Foundation Rembrandt Research Project, A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, Vol. IV, 2004, fig. 235, fig. 1 pp. 242-244, 263-270, 605-607
  • Curtis, Cathy, LA Now, 2004, pp. 10-13
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 654 p. 323
  • Volker Manuth, Marieke de Winkel, Peter Schatborn, Erik Hinterding, Rembrandt: The Complete Paintings, 2019, fig. 156 p. 608 ; pp. 191, 608 (ill.)
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Additional Artwork by Artist

A Nude Man Standing, Another Seated Rembrandt van Rijn c.1646 (Basan impression)
Beggar Leaning on a Stick, Facing Left Rembrandt van Rijn c. 1630
Beggars Receiving Alms at the Door of a House Rembrandt van Rijn 1648 (Basan impression)

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