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	Info
	The Artist in his Studio c. 1626 Oil on canvas, 25 x 32 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
	The Artist in his Studio (detail) c. 1626 Oil on canvas Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
	Self-Portrait 1628 Oil on wood, 23 x 19 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
	Self-Portrait 1629 Oil on panel, 16 x 13 cm Alte Pinakothek, Munich
	Self-Portrait c. 1629 Oil on wood, 44 x 34 cm Museum of Art, Indianapolis
	Self-Portrait with Lace Collar c. 1629 Oil on canvas, 38 x 29 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague
	Self-Portrait with Gorget 1629 Oil on panel, 38 x 31 cm Staatliche Museen, Kassel
	Self-Portrait c. 1630 Oil on panel, 70 x 57 cm Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
	Self-Portrait in Oriental Costume with Poodle 1631-33 Oil on panel, 67 x 52 cm Musée du Petit Palais, Paris
	Self-Portrait Wearing a Ruff and a Black Hat 1632 Oil on oak panel, 22 x 16 cm Private collection
	Self-Portrait Wearing a Toque and a Gold Chain 1633 Oil on wood, 70 x 53 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	Self-Portrait 1634 Oil on panel, 71 x 55 cm Private collection
	Self-Portrait as a Young Man 1634 Oil on wood, 62 x 54 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Self-Portrait with Velvet Beret and Furred Mantel 1634 Oil on oak, 58 x 48 cm Staatliche Museen, Berlin
	Portrait of Rembrandt with Gorget and Helmet 1634 Oil on panel, 84 x 61 cm Staatliche Museen, Kassel
	Self-Portrait 1640 Oil on canvas, 102 x 80 cm National Gallery, London
	Self-Portrait c. 1640 Oil on panel, 72 x 55 cm Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid
	Little Self-Portrait c. 1657 Oil on wood, 49 x 41 cm Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
	Self-Portrait 1658 Oil on canvas, 134 x 104 cm Frick Collection, New York
	Self-Portrait 1659 Oil on canvas, 85 x 66 cm National Gallery of Art, Washington
	Self-Portrait (detail) 1659 Oil on canvas National Gallery of Art, Washington
	Self-Portrait 1660 Oil on canvas, 80 x 67 cm Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
	Portrait of the Artist at His Easel 1660 Oil on canvas, 111 x 85 cm Musée du Louvre, Paris
	Self-Portrait 1661 Oil on canvas, 114 x 94 cm Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood House, London
	Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul 1661 Oil on canvas, 91 x 77 cm Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
	Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul (detail) 1661 Oil on canvas Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
	Self-Portrait as the Apostle Paul (detail) 1661 Oil on canvas Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
	Self-Portrait 1668-69 Oil on canvas, 82,5 x 65 cm Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne
	Self-Portrait 1669 Oil on canvas, 71 x 54 cm Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
	Self-Portrait 1669 Oil on canvas, 86 x 71 cm National Gallery, London
	Self-Portrait 1669 Oil on canvas, 65 x 60 cm Mauritshuis, The Hague