Self-portrait

Robert Walker was one of the leading portrait painters in England during the Interregnum, closely associated with the Parliamentary and Puritan circles around Oliver Cromwell. Unlike many English artists who had royalist connections, Walker built his career within the republic. His Self-Portrait of around 1645 is a modest, direct work in keeping with the austere Protestant sensibility of his circle, contrasting sharply with the flamboyant royalist portraits of Van Dyck.

Walker depicts himself with the sober directness characteristic of his circle — plain dark costume, direct gaze, minimal accessories. His technique is careful and competent without the virtuosic flourish of his Flemish contemporaries, reflecting both his Puritan aesthetic preferences and the limits of his training.