Artwork
Self-portrait
Self-portrait is an unspecified painting by Unknown. It dates from 1850 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. Created around 1850, this self‑portrait by the artist identified as 17530_person is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1850, this self‑portrait by the artist identified as 17530_person is part of the collection of the Museum of Ethnography. The work presents a solitary male figure rendered in oil on canvas, occupying a modestly sized format typical of mid‑nineteenth‑century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is depicted with a short haircut and a dark beard, gazing slightly away from the viewer. His attire—a striped shirt of red and deep blue—suggests a personal, perhaps informal, presentation rather than formal attire, inviting contemplation of the artist’s self‑perception during this period.
Technique & Style
Thick, impasto brushstrokes dominate the facial area, especially the beard, giving the surface a tactile quality. Light falls across the cheek and forehead, producing bright highlights that contrast sharply with the shadowed jaw and neck, an application of chiaroscuro that emphasizes volume and depth.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Museum of Ethnography’s holdings sometime after its creation, though precise acquisition details remain undocumented. Its presence in an ethnographic institution reflects the museum’s broader interest in personal representation alongside cultural artifacts.
Artist & collection
Domestic Scene
Giacomo and Cardinal Marco, investing Andrea, Abbot of San Zeno, with his Benefice
The Nymph of Fontainebleau
Portrait of a Woman
Madonna and Child with Saints in the Enclosed Garden
Venus and Minerva
Family Group of Four on Sofa
Wall painting from Room H of the Villa of P. Fannius Synistor at Boscoreale
