Who painted Self-Portrait at Her Easel?

Self-Portrait at Her Easel was painted by Maria Schalcken in 1670.

Where can I see Self-Portrait at Her Easel?

Self-Portrait at Her Easel is held by Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

What movement is Self-Portrait at Her Easel?

Self-Portrait at Her Easel is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Self-Portrait at Her Easel?

Museum-quality prints of Self-Portrait at Her Easel are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Self-Portrait at Her Easel by Maria Schalcken (1670)

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The easel functions as the central iconographic attribute, signaling the sitter's occupation and elevating the domestic space into a studio.

Self-Portrait at Her Easel is a self-portrait by Maria Schalcken, depicting the artist herself as a woman at work. Painted in oil on panel in 1670, the work shows Schalcken in the act of painting, presenting her own identity as both the creator and the subject of the composition. By placing herself at her easel, Schalcken asserts her professional identity as a practicing painter, using the self-portrait format to claim authorship and artistic competence.

The easel functions as the central iconographic attribute, signaling the sitter's occupation and elevating the domestic space into a studio. As a self-portrait, the painting also operates as a visual statement of self-representation, allowing Schalcken to control how she was seen by viewers and patrons. The work thus carries dual meaning: it is both a likeness of a specific woman and a declaration of her status as an artist.

Technique & Style

Self-Portrait at Her Easel is an oil painting executed on panel, a support consistent with the small-scale cabinet format suggested by its modest dimensions of 39.6 by 31.6 cm. Maria Schalcken applied oil paint to render her own likeness at the easel, working within the self-portrait genre in 1670. The choice of panel rather than canvas is characteristic of Dutch seventeenth-century practice for intimate, finely detailed portraits of this size. The work is held by the Museum of Fine Arts Boston as part of the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection.

History & Provenance

Self-Portrait at Her Easel was created by Maria Schalcken in 1670, executed in oil paint on panel;. The painting subsequently entered the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection, a private holding through which it was placed on view at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. No further details regarding an earlier ownership chain, commission, or intermediate provenance are documented in the available sources.

Maria Schalcken's Self-Portrait at Her Easel (1670) is currently held by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The work resides within the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection, which is part of the museum's holdings. While the painting is attributed to the 1670s, the provided sources do not list a specific accession number, inventory code, or a detailed record of past exhibitions for this piece.

The artwork is an oil painting on panel, depicting the artist at her easel, and remains a component of the van Otterloo Collection at the Boston institution.

Legacy

Maria Schalcken's Self-Portrait at Her Easel (1670) has been recognized for its nuanced portrayal of female artistic agency and technical mastery, influencing later scholarship on Baroque portraiture. The work's inclusion in major collections, notably the Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo Collection at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, has contributed to renewed scholarly interest in women artists of the Dutch Golden Age. Its representation as a self-referential image of the artist at work continues to inform contemporary discussions on gender and authorship in art history.

Overview

Created in 1670, this oil on canvas presents a self‑portrait by the Dutch artist Maria Schalcken. The work is part of the collection of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. It shows the artist seated at an easel, gesturing toward a small landscape she has painted, and is notable for its intimate, studio‑like setting.

Context

In the late seventeenth century, self‑portraiture was a common means for artists to assert professional identity. Schalcken’s work aligns with contemporary Dutch practices while also highlighting the particular challenges faced by women painters, who often used domestic settings to negotiate their artistic presence.