Self-portraits in chronological order
by REMBRANDT

It is particularly interesting if the various stages of the creative renewal of an artist can be followed on self-portraits so that the change in style and the change in maturity can be studied simultaneously. From this point of view Rembrandt's self-portraits are without parallel. They are the inexhaustibly rich documents of a human and artistic self-examination lasting a lifetime. In the art of the self-portrait Rembrandt exerted the greatest influence on those painters who rejected the solemn pomp of the Baroque and endeavoured to tell the truth simply and without external trappings.

It is impossible to say how many self-portraits Rembrandt made, for any estimate depends on the definition of what does and what does not belong to his oeuvre. All in all, with the drawings and prints included, Rembrandt must have recorded his own likeness at least 85 times.

The self-portraits served various purposes. Some of them show him playing a role (a hunter, the Prodigal Son, Apostle Paul, etc.). On several occasions he posed as an artist, or as a painter in his studio.

Preview Picture Data File Info Comment
The Artist in his Studio
1626-28
Oil on canvas, 25,5 x 32 cm
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

899*700
True Color
133 Kb



Self-Portrait
1627
Oil on wood, 23,5 x 17 cm
Staatliche Museen, Kassel

452*650
True Color
79 Kb



Self-Portrait
1628
Oil on wood, 22,6 x 18,7 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

800*959
True Color
87 Kb



Self-Portrait
1629
Oil on panel, 15,5 x 12,5 cm
Alte Pinakothek, Munich

695*880
True Color
109 Kb



Self-Portrait with Lace Collar
c. 1629
Oil on canvas, 38 x 29 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague

800*1035
True Color
68 Kb



Self-Portrait Wearing a Toque and a Gold Chain
1633
Oil on wood, 70 x 53 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

900*1169
True Color
80 Kb



Self-Portrait as a Young Man
1634
Oil on canvas, 61 x 52 cm
Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence

822*1008
True Color
126 Kb



Self-Portrait with Velvet Beret and Furred Mantel
1634
Oil on oak, 58 x 48 cm
Staatliche Museen, Berlin

850*1023
True Color
63 Kb



Self-Portrait
1640
Oil on canvas, 102 x 80 cm
National Gallery, London

922*1103
True Color
120 Kb



Self-Portrait
c. 1643
Oil on panel, 72 x 55 cm
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

750*935
True Color
64 Kb



Little Self-Portrait
1656-58
Oil on wood, 48,5 x 40,5 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

730*875
True Color
90 Kb



Self-Portrait
1658
Oil on canvas, 133,5 x 104 cm
Frick Collection, New York

808*1070
True Color
118 Kb



Self-Portrait
1659
Oil on canvas, 84,5 x 66 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington

746*950
True Color
120 Kb



Self-Portrait (detail)
1659
Oil on canvas, 84,5 x 66 cm (full painting)
National Gallery of Art, Washington

793*986
True Color
143 Kb



Portrait of the Artist at His Easel
1660
Oil on canvas, 111 x 85 cm
Musée du Louvre, Paris

792*1005
True Color
122 Kb



Self-Portrait
1660
Oil on canvas, 80,5 x 67,5 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

832*970
True Color
104 Kb



Self-Portrait
1661
Oil on canvas, 114 x 94 cm
English Heritage, Kenwood House, London

851*1012
True Color
112 Kb



Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul
1661
Oil on canvas, 91 x 77 cm
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

1000*1163
True Color
88 Kb



Self-Portrait
1668-69
Oil on canvas, 82,5 x 65 cm
Wallraf-Richartz Museum, Cologne

741*947
True Color
71 Kb



Self-Portrait
1669
Oil on canvas, 86 x 70.5 cm
National Gallery, London

831*1020
True Color
81 Kb



Self-Portrait
1669
Oil on canvas, 59 x 51 cm
Mauritshuis, The Hague

679*788
True Color
62 Kb



Summary of works by Rembrandt
Biblical paintings
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
Portraits
Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3
Group portraits | Self-portraits
Miscellaneous paintings
Graphics
Etchings | Drawings