Artwork
Self-portrait Lit from the Left
Self-portrait Lit from the Left is an oil painting by the Early Baroque Italian artist Rembrandt van Rijn. It dates from 1629 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The painting shows Rembrandt in three-quarter view with light falling across his left cheek, wearing a dark outfit with a lace collar. The work functions as a self-portrait that emphasizes the artist's direct engagement with the viewer through his gaze. Rendered in oil on oak panel, it belongs to the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is housed in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Technique & Style
As a portrait genre piece, it depicts the artist himself, utilizing the medium to capture the specific lighting conditions implied by its title.
Created in 1629, this self-portrait is executed in oil paint on an oak panel support. The work measures 15.6 cm in height and 12.7 cm in width, reflecting the small scale typical of Rembrandt's early studies. As a portrait genre piece, it depicts the artist himself, utilizing the medium to capture the specific lighting conditions implied by its title. The painting is currently held within the Bavarian State Painting Collections at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
History & Provenance
The painting belongs to the Bavarian State Painting Collections and is held at the Alte Pinakothek in Munich. It is recorded as an oil-on-oak panel self-portrait executed in 1629, measuring 15.6 cm in height and 12.7 cm in width.
No specific inventory or accession number is documented in the available sources, and no exhibition history is recorded.
Overview
Created in 1629, this oil on canvas is an early self‑portrait by the Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn. Executed while the painter was still in his twenties, the work shows a young man illuminated from the left, set against a dark, muted backdrop. The painting is part of the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
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Self-portrait
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