“Self-portrait with beret, wide-eyed”
This delightful and funny little self-portrait is an etching on paper made by the Dutch art Baroque master, Rembrandt van Rijn, from 1630 and is titled “Self-portrait with beret, wide-eyed”. Throughout his life, Rembrandt did many self-portraits, about 40 paintings, 31 etchings, and several drawings. This is one of his earlier ones made when he was just around 23-24 years of age.
This piece is a wonderful example of a tronie; an unconventional style of portrait in which people were depicted with exaggerated facial expressions, and often in costume. Tronies were quite popular during the Dutch golden age and were bought by wealthy merchants with a healthy sense of humor. Joos van Craesbeeck was a Flemish contemporary who also excelled in this craft.
Using his own depiction in his work was also a means of self-advertising. With so many of his portraits depicting himself, he got his face out into the art world and made himself recognizable to the public. Rembrandt also used his self-portraits as teaching tools and studies for facial expressions. He often had his students copy them.
As this is an etching, there are several original copies in existence today, and as such, the title of the piece varies. There is another copy of the same piece in the collection of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York titled “Self-Portrait in a Cap, Open-Mouthed”.
“Self-portrait with beret, wide-eyed” is currently on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
For more on Rembrandt van Rijn, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
