Self-Portrait Drawing at a Window
1648
Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
Not on View

Ten years passed before Rembrandt created another self-portrait. Here he casts himself as a working artist. Costume has given way to a practical shirt, painter’s coat and narrow-brimmed hat. His furrowed brow suggests the concentration demanded of his enterprise. A radiant beam of light from the left provides the sole illumination for the dark, minimally described studio. A rich chiaroscuro—achieved through a dense network of cross-hatching, drypoint and slashes of burin—lends a gravitas to the artist’s figure.

It is worth remembering, as one considers the inspiration for this self-portrait, that Rembrandt was an avid print collector. He was familiar with the iconography of the scholar in his studio, accompanied by the attributes of his profession. This well-known subject in painting and printmaking, dating to the late 15th century, provided a matrix for his composition. As noted in the earlier self-portraits, Rembrandt was conversant with contemporary art theory, which esteemed drawing, or disegno, as the conceptual foundation of the visual arts. The implement he holds in his hand, poised above a tablet or small copper plate, is meant for drawing. This association would have been recognized by the circle of scholars and poets who were fast becoming
Rembrandt’s patrons.

Details

  • Artist Name: Rembrandt van Rijn (Dutch, 1606-1669)
  • Title: Self-Portrait Drawing at a Window
  • Date: 1648
  • Medium: Etching, drypoint and burin
  • Edition: State IV
  • Dimensions: plate: 6-1/4 x 5-1/8 in. (15.9 x 13.0 cm); sheet: 6-5/8 x 5-1/4 in. (16.8 x 13.3 cm)
  • Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
  • Accession Number: M.1977.32.075.G
  • Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation

Object Information

The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt

  • Norton Simon Museum, 2009-12-04 to 2010-3-22

Eye-to-Eye with Rembrandt: Etched Portraits and Self-Portraits

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1994-05-26 to 1995-01-15

From Line into Image: Etchings by Rembrandt Van Rijn

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1992-01-30 to 1992-09-06

Rembrandt Portrait Etchings

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1986-05-22 to 1987-08-30

Rembrandt Etchings

  • Norton Simon Museum, 1978-08-10 to 1980
  • Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1452 p. 408

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)

Image reproduction permission may be granted for scholarly or arts related commercial use. All image requests, regardless of their intended purpose, should be submitted via the reproduction request form.

Images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Additional permission may be required.

Approved requests for the reproduction of an image will receive a contract detailing all fees and conditions of use of the image. Upon receipt of both the signed contract and full payment, the Office of Rights and Reproductions will provide the image. A complimentary copy of the published material must be provided to the Norton Simon Museum.

Reproduction Request Form