Artwork
Self Portrait of the Painter with his Family
Self Portrait of the Painter with his Family is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Willemsz Delff. It dates from 1598 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting is a self-portrait in which the artist Jacob Willemsz Delff depicts himself alongside his family, situating the work within the tradition of the familial group portrait. As a self-portrait, the composition centers on the painter's own likeness, with the family members arranged around him to convey both personal identity and domestic bonds.
The genre classification as a portrait, combined with the depiction of the artist himself, signals the work's dual function: a record of the painter's appearance and a statement of his social and familial standing. Painted in oil on panel in 1594, the work uses the formal conventions of late sixteenth-century Dutch portraiture to communicate the sitter's character and status rather than to convey allegorical symbolism.
Technique & Style
The use of oil on panel is consistent with the technical practice of Jacob Willemsz Delff in 1594, when the work was produced.
The work is executed in oil paint on a wooden panel, a standard support for late sixteenth-century Netherlandish portraiture. According to the cataloguing data, the panel measures 83.5 cm in height by 109 cm in width, giving the composition a horizontal format suited to a multi-figure family grouping. The painting is classified as a portrait and specifically identified as a self-portrait, with the artist himself serving as the primary sitter alongside the additional figures of his family.
The use of oil on panel is consistent with the technical practice of Jacob Willemsz Delff in 1594, when the work was produced.
History & Provenance
Jacob Willemsz Delff created the oil painting Self Portrait of the Painter with his Family in 1594. Executed on a panel measuring 83.5 cm in height and 109 cm in width, the work depicts the artist alongside a male figure. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
Context
This work is classified as a portrait and specifically a self-portrait, reflecting the artist's focus on personal representation within the Dutch Golden Age tradition. The painting demonstrates the Delff family's prominence in Delft, where multiple generations of artists, including Jacob Willemsz Delff, maintained workshop connections. Its depiction of familial relationships aligns with contemporary trends in portraiture that emphasized lineage and status.
The composition and scale, measuring 83.5 cm by 109 cm, support its function as a formal yet intimate record of the sitter's identity.
Scholarship situates this painting within Jacob Willemsz Delff's oeuvre as an early example of Dutch portraiture that bridges the decorative styles of the late 16th century with emerging naturalistic approaches. The work's presence in the Rijksmuseum collection since its acquisition highlights its recognized significance in Dutch art history, where it is studied both for its technical execution and its social context within Delft's artistic community.
Overview
Jacob Willemsz Delff’s 1598 oil painting, Self Portrait of the Painter with his Family, presents a compact group portrait now in the Rijksmuseum’s collection. Five figures stand closely together against a dimly lit backdrop, the central figure, a bearded man with a walking stick, identified as the artist himself. The work offers a rare glimpse into the domestic and professional world of a late‑sixteenth‑century Dutch painter.
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