Self Portrait with Two Circles

Rembrandt's Self-Portrait with Two Circles from around 1665, in the Kenwood House collection, is one of his most monumental and mysterious late self-portraits. The two large circles behind him have been interpreted variously as a map of the world, an exercise in freehand drawing skill, a symbol of artistic perfection, or a reference to Giotto's legendary perfect circle. The painting presents Rembrandt with brush, palette, and maulstick as tools of his trade, asserting his identity as a working painter rather than a gentleman-artist.

The technique demonstrates Rembrandt's full late mastery: the face is built up in layers of thick impasto that create an almost three-dimensional effect, while the palette and hands are rendered with extraordinary freedom. The mysterious circles on the wall are painted with broad, sweeping strokes.