Self-Portrait in a slant Fur Cap: Bust

Depicted here with a furrowed brow and dressed in a slant fur cap, with his characteristic curly hair blending into the more densely etched fur coat that envelops him, this expressive self-portrait is reflective of Rembrandt’s penchant for a certain flair and theatricality in his portraits. Indeed, across his printed oeuvre one can observe a clear predilection for interesting headgear that ranged from the quotidian to the extravagant, as illustrated in the present example. As characteristic of his early tronies, there is no suggestion of any background or narrative detail. The viewer’s attention is focused on the artist’s concentrated gaze and the textured garments, so effectively rendered in this charming print. The plate is only known in later states which were completed by another hand in the artist's workshop, mostly likely his early pupil and collaborator Jan van Vliet (1605-1668).