Self-Portrait
Shown from the waist up, an older man with pale, peachy skin looks out at us with deep-set, gray eyes under a furrowed brow, in front of a sable-brown background in this vertical portrait painting. His body is angled to our left, and his face turns to us. He has a faintly pink, bulbous nose, and his slightly sunken cheeks are shaded with gray. His peach-colored lips are framed with a wispy, gray mustache and goatee. Bronze-orange lines are incised within the battleship gray of his hair to create soft curls under his brown beret, which has gold trim around the base. The dark collar of his fawn-brown coat is turned up so his neck is covered. He is lit from the upper left, so his body and the right side of the painting are deeply shadowed. On our left, the canvas is painted with blended strokes of tawny and dark brown. His dark coat blends into the background, and his folded hands are in shadow in the lower left corner. The brushstrokes are visible in some areas, especially in the man’s face. The painting is signed and dated next to his shoulder, to our left, “Rembrandt f. 1659.”
Details
- Palette
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- Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- overall: 84.5 x 66 cm (33 1/4 x 26 in.) framed: 122.9 x 104.1 x 8.9 cm (48 3/8 x 41 x 3 1/2 in.)
- Department
- CNE-B
- Holding institution
- National Gallery of Art
- Image provider
- national-gallery-of-art
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Andrew W. Mellon Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
7 tags
Subject Matter
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Self-Portrait Metadata · 99%
The National Gallery of Art title identifies the work as “Self-Portrait,” and the image presents a single sitter addressing the viewer.
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Face Visual · 98%
The sitter’s face is the most clearly illuminated and detailed part of the composition, with the eyes, brow, nose, cheeks, and mouth receiving concentrated attention.
Visual Qualities
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Earth Tones Visual · 98%
The palette is dominated by sable brown, black, muted ochre, and warm flesh tones.
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Dark Colors Visual · 96%
The coat, hat, lower body, and much of the background are rendered in very dark brown and black passages.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Metadata · 100%
The catalog identifies the medium as oil on canvas.
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Chiaroscuro Visual · 97%
The face is brought forward by strong illumination against deeply shadowed clothing and background, creating a pronounced light-dark contrast.
Time Periods
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17th Century Art Metadata · 100%
The catalog dates the work to 1659.
Source & rights
Rembrandt van Rijn. Self-Portrait. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.