Minneapolis Institute of Art

Self-Portrait with Bare Head

Rembrandt van Rijn

Date

1630

Medium

Etching

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Rembrandt made an unusually large number of self-portraits. The etchings were made early in his career. Decades later, one of his students reported that Rembrandt urged his students to study themselves before the mirror so they could be actor and audience simultaneously. Such lessons in observation and empathy were useful in understanding and depicting the emotions and thoughts of biblical, literary, and historical figures. Rembrandt's tiny etched self-portraits were gathered by collectors and had the effect of marketing the artist himself as a brand. Netherlands, Europe

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