Self-Portrait

What you see

Rembrandt shows himself from the waist up, seated at an angle, his face turned toward us. He wears a dark beret, a brown coat with a high collar and a fur-lined garment draped over his arms. At lower left, his clasped hands barely emerge from the shadow. The face, in the upper third, is the only part in full light, and that is where the eye stays.

Browns, ochres and blacks fill nearly everything, with a plain background that melts into the clothing. The skin is built up in thick layers that model wrinkles, the pouches under the eyes and a slightly furrowed brow. Gray curls spring out at the sides in loose touches. Spot the signature and date written on the left, level with his shoulder.