Portrait of Rembrandt as St. Paul
Original title: Portrait of Rembrandt as St. Paul
kurzbeschreibung
Rembrandt van Rijn casts himself as the apostle Paul in this painting. No date for the work has come down to us; it is presumably oil on canvas. What we see is a bust-length figure wearing a turban, with a book and a flute as his attributes.
Description
A white, turban-like head covering frames the face of a man in a dark jacket. His expression is serious and withdrawn. The right hand grips a book, the left holds a flute. Against the plain dark ground the figure stands out clearly, while light falling from the side picks out contours and the folds in face and garment.
Context
Self-portraits in historical or biblical roles recur more than once in Rembrandt's work and were widespread in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. The role of Paul invokes his activity as a Christian missionary and writer. An exact date cannot be established, but the work is assigned to Rembrandt's mature period. Today it belongs to the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Impact
Muted colours and side lighting give the picture a calm, thoughtful mood. The grave gaze and the objects, book and flute, suggest scholarship and contemplation.
Technique
The handling points to oil paint on canvas. The fine modelling of the face and the soft direction of the light correspond to Rembrandt's characteristic touch.
AI-generated description text
Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)