Artwork
Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill
Self-Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill is an ink print by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1639 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
This style of drawing—where the artist scratches into a metal plate—lets you see every mark.
This sketch shows a man with curly hair and a wide smile, sitting on a ledge. He’s wearing a big hat and a loose coat with fur trim. The lines are rough and busy, especially around his face and clothes.
The paper has a textured look, and the artist signed it in the corner with the year 1639. This style of drawing—where the artist scratches into a metal plate—lets you see every mark.
Next, check out etching to see how artists like this made prints.
Overview
Rembrandt’s Self‑Portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill is an etching executed on laid paper and dated 1639. The image presents the artist in a relaxed pose, his head tipped back and a broad smile evident, while a large hat and a fur‑trimmed coat frame his figure. The work bears Rembrandt’s signature and the year in the lower corner, confirming its authorship and date.
Subject & Meaning
The composition depicts the painter himself seated on a stone ledge, his curly hair and expressive face rendered with a lively, almost theatrical gesture. The open‑mouthed smile and informal attire suggest a moment of self‑reflection or a playful self‑presentation, offering insight into how Rembrandt viewed his own identity and status as an artist in the late 1630s.
Technique & Style
Created by incising a copper plate with a needle, the etching reveals Rembrandt’s characteristic use of dense, overlapping lines that convey texture in the fur trim, fabric folds, and facial features. The laid paper’s ribbed surface enhances the tactile quality of the image, while the rough, busy hatching around the face and clothing demonstrates the artist’s mastery of tonal variation through line work.
History & Provenance
The print bears the artist’s signature and the date 1639, placing it among a series of self‑portraits produced during Rembrandt’s middle period. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has been documented in major collections of Dutch printmaking and is frequently cited in scholarly catalogues of Rembrandt’s graphic oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), known mononymously as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman.
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