Self portrait

This Rembrandt self-portrait from 1660, previously in the Charles Sedelmeyer collection, belongs to the extraordinary series of late self-portraits that constitutes Western art's most sustained exercise in self-examination. By 1660 Rembrandt had endured bankruptcy, the death of his companion Hendrickje, and social marginalization, yet his self-portraits project an image of undiminished creative authority and human dignity. These late works have been compared to Beethoven's late quartets in their combination of technical mastery and profound emotional honesty.

Rembrandt's late self-portrait technique builds the face through accumulated layers of warm and cool tones, creating an effect of living, breathing presence. The broadly handled costume and background concentrate all visual attention on the powerfully modeled features.