Self portrait, drawing at a window thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
Europe 1600-1815, Room 6, The Lisa and Bernard Selz Gallery

Self portrait, drawing at a window

Print
1648 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Rembrandt painted and drew a great many records of his own features, now highly prized for their penetrating introspection. This sombre, low-key representation, almost the last of his etched self-portraits, contrasts strongly with the flamboyant self-image he created in other works.

In this self-portrait Rembrandt is showing himself etching his own self-portrait whilst looking in a mirror. This print is particularly strong in tonal quality which was especially prized by collectors and writers - such as Filippo Baldinuccini 1686, Roger de Piles in 1699 and Arnold Houbraken in 1718 - and likened to the technique of mezzotint.


Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSelf portrait, drawing at a window (published title)
Materials and techniques
Etching, drypoint and burin
Brief description
Etching, drypoint and burin by Rembrandt van Rijn, 'Self portrait drawing at a window', second state. Amsterdam, 1648.
Physical description
Etching depicting a man wearing a hat, sitting at a table by a window, facing the viewer. He has a sheaf of paper in front of him upon which he draws.
Dimensions
  • Height: 15.6cm
  • Width: 12.9cm
Style
Credit line
Bequeathed by Constantine Alexander Ionides
Object history
Bequeathed by C.A. Ionides.
Subject depicted
Summary
Rembrandt painted and drew a great many records of his own features, now highly prized for their penetrating introspection. This sombre, low-key representation, almost the last of his etched self-portraits, contrasts strongly with the flamboyant self-image he created in other works.

In this self-portrait Rembrandt is showing himself etching his own self-portrait whilst looking in a mirror. This print is particularly strong in tonal quality which was especially prized by collectors and writers - such as Filippo Baldinuccini 1686, Roger de Piles in 1699 and Arnold Houbraken in 1718 - and likened to the technique of mezzotint.
Bibliographic references
  • Taken from V&A Internal Catalogue
  • Bartsch, Adam von. Catalogue raisonné de toutes les estampes qui forment l'oeuvre de Rembrandt (Vienna, 1797). B.22,
  • White, Christopher and Boon, Karel G. Rembrandt's Etchings: An Illustrated Critical Catalogue in Two Volumes, I. Text. (Amsterdam: Van Gendt & Co; London: A. Zwemmer Ltd., 1969).
  • Hind, Arthur M. A Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings. (London: Methuen and o. Ltd., 1923).
  • The Catalogue of the Constantine Alexander Ionides Collection. (London. Victoria and Albert Museum, 1904).
  • Hollstein, F. W. H. (Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich), 1888-1957. Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts, ca. 1450-1700. (Amsterdam: M. Hertzberger, 1949-), vol. 18-19.
  • Hinterding, Erik, et. al. Rembrandt the Printmaker. (London, British Museum Press, 2000), p.243-247.
  • Blanc, Charles, L'œuvre complet de Rembrandt, décrit et commenté, (Paris, 1859-61).
  • Biörklund George. Rembrandt's Etchings, True and False: A Summary Catalogue in a Distinctive Chronological Order and Completely Illustrated , (Stockholm, London & Paris, 1955) (2nd ed. 1968).
  • Taken from Guard Book
Collection
Accession number
CAI.713

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Record createdMarch 31, 2008
Record URL
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