Artwork
Portrait of a man in armor (self-portrait)
Portrait of a man in armor (self-portrait) is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob Adriaensz Backer. It dates from 1629 and is held in the collection of the Bavarian State Painting Collections.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1629, this oil painting presents the Dutch artist Jacob Adriaensz Backer in a suit of armor. Executed during the early phase of the Dutch Golden Age, the work exemplifies Backer’s skill in portraiture and his willingness to experiment with dramatic lighting. The canvas now belongs to the collection of the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.
Subject & Meaning
The figure is a self‑portrait; Backer portrays himself as a knight, wearing a dark, slightly creased cuirass with a high collar and a chest strap. His curly hair, moustache and solemn expression convey a dignified yet approachable presence, suggesting a personal identification with the virtues of chivalry without overt bravado.
Technique & Style
Backer employs a strong chiaroscuro scheme, allowing a focused beam of light to illuminate the face while the surrounding space recedes into deep shadow. The rendering of the armor’s texture and the fine details of hair and facial hair demonstrate his precise brushwork, while the plain background enhances the three‑dimensional effect of the figure.
History & Provenance
Backer, who produced roughly 140 works over two decades, was influenced by contemporaries such as Wybrand de Geest, Peter Paul Rubens, and Abraham Bloemaert. The painting entered the Alte Pinakothek’s holdings in the 19th century, where it has been displayed as part of the museum’s representation of Dutch portraiture from the early 1600s.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Adriaensz Backer (1608 – 27 August 1651) was a Dutch Golden Age painter. He produced about 140 paintings in twenty years, including portraits, religious subjects, and mythological paintings. In his style, he was…
Old Woman in an Armchair
Portrait of an Old Woman
The regents of the Nieuwe Zijds institute for the outdoor relief of the poor, Amsterdam, ca 1650
Officers and other Civic Guardsmen of the V District in Amsterdam under the command of Captain Cornelis de Graeff and Lieutenant Hendrick Lauwrensz
The Garden of Eden
The superintendents of the Collegium Medicum in Amsterdam
Portrait of Daniel Nellius, elder of the Remonstrant church and sampling official of Alkmaar
Johannes Uyttenbogaert (1557-1644). Remonstrant minister in The Hague