REMBRANDT: Self-portrait in a heavy fur cap - 1631
SOLD
Fine impression on laid paper. The plate just beginning to wear around the right eye and in the bottom left corner.
Impression in very good condition. Trimmed 1 mm inside the platemark in the upper part, 2 mm inside the platemark on the right, on the platemark bottom, and 1 mm inside the platemark on the left. Small remains of old glue verso. According to E. Hinterding and J. Rutgers (in New Hollstein), the vertical lines are probably caused by a porous etching ground.
It has been pointed out that Rembrandt had originally conceived his self-portrait without the hat, which explains why his typically curly hair is visible through it. However, there is no known proof without the hat. This self-portrait is quite similar to the one engraved in 1630, in which the painter also depicted himself wearing a hat and a housecoat with a fur collar. In the portrait from 1631, Rembrandt further emphasised the chiaroscuro effect on his face and coat.