Rembrandt - Self portrait wearing a white feathered bonnet [1635]

Rembrandt van Rijn -

Self-portrait wearing a white feathered bonnet [1635]

Buckland Abbey National Trust AN 810136

The painting was recently cleaned and attributed to Rembrandt himself:

 

Self portrait wearing a white feathered bonnet

*oil on panel

*91 x 72 cm

*signed b.r.: Rembran[...] / f:· 1635

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One of the most famous artists of all time, Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–69) repeatedly used his own face to practise and demonstrate his craft. Many of his self-portrait paintings and drawings survive, and this one was painted in 1635, when he had recently moved from Leiden to Amsterdam and begun a successful career. Here we see him dressing up as a wealthy adventurer. He wears a flamboyant plumed hat, a short velvet cloak embroidered with gilt and jewelled adornments, and (bizarrely) a military metal neckband (gorget) from a suit of armour. The lighting is as theatrical as the outfit, and Rembrandt appears to be experimenting with the use of angled light and looming shadows to create a sense of brooding or impending drama.

 

Although the portrait is signed and dated, its attribution was once considered doubtful. However, it has recently been subjected to cleaning and scientific analysis and has been confirmed as a work by the master’s hand.

 

Source:

www.nationaltrustcollections.org.uk/object/810136

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