Artwork
Selbstbildnis (Kopie nach)
Selbstbildnis (Kopie nach) is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jan Lievens. It dates from 1640 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Classified within the portrait genre, the painting presents Lievens in a self-referential image, a format he revisited throughout his career.
The work is a self-portrait by Jan Lievens, depicting the artist himself as its sole named subject. Classified within the portrait genre, the painting presents Lievens in a self-referential image, a format he revisited throughout his career. The title's parenthetical "Kopie nach" ("copy after") indicates that the canvas is a replica derived from an earlier self-portrait composition by the same artist rather than an entirely original invention, situating the work within Lievens's ongoing engagement with his own likeness.
As a self-portrait, the painting operates on a basic level of artistic self-presentation, allowing Lievens to circulate an established image of himself through the Bavarian State Painting Collections, where it is now held at the Alte Pinakothek. The replication of a prior self-image suggests an interest in preserving and disseminating a particular visual identity, a common motivation behind seventeenth-century artists' repeated use of self-portrait types.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1640, this self-portrait by Jan Lievens is an oil painting on canvas. The work measures 59.8 cm in height and 48.8 cm in width. As a portrait genre piece, it depicts the artist himself and is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek.
The application of oil paint on a fabric support aligns with standard seventeenth-century portrait practices, though specific details regarding surface condition, brushwork handling, or distinct stylistic maneuvers are not provided in the available records.
History & Provenance
The painting Selbstbildnis (Kopie nach) is dated 1640 and attributed to Jan Lievens.
It entered the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is currently located in the Alte Pinakothek. The work is recorded with dimensions of 59.8 cm in height and 48.8 cm in width, and depicts the artist himself as the main subject.
Overview
Selbstbildnis (Kopie nach) is an oil portrait from 1640, attributed to Jan Lievens, a Dutch Golden Age painter. Notably, the work does not depict the artist himself, as the title might suggest, but rather a woman.
Context
While Lievens' early career overlapped with Rembrandt's, this work reflects his independent stylistic path, influenced by his travels to London, Antwerp, The Hague, and Berlin.
Legacy
As part of the Alte Pinakothek's holdings, Selbstbildnis (Kopie nach) contributes to the museum's collection of Dutch Golden Age art, offering insight into Lievens' contribution to the era's portraiture.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jan Lievens (24 October 1607 – 4 June 1674) was a Dutch Golden Age painter who was associated with his close contemporary Rembrandt, a year older, in the early parts of their careers.
