Artwork
Self-Portrait (?) with Plumed Cap and Lowered Sabre
Self-Portrait (?) with Plumed Cap and Lowered Sabre is an ink print by the Baroque artist Rembrandt. It dates from 1634 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1634, this etching by Rembrandt van Rijn presents a figure dressed in an elaborate plumed hat and holding a lowered sabre. The composition focuses on the solitary individual, whose posture conveys a sense of poise and self‑assurance. The work is catalogued as a portrait, though its identification as a true self‑portrait remains uncertain.
Subject & Meaning
The central figure is rendered as a gentleman in fashionable attire, the feathered cap indicating status, while the relaxed position of the sword suggests readiness without aggression. The ambiguous nature of the portrait invites speculation about identity, allowing viewers to consider themes of personal representation and the artist’s possible self‑examination.
Technique & Style
Executed as an etching, the image was produced by incising lines into a copper plate, which was then inked and pressed onto paper. Rembrandt’s handling of line and tone demonstrates his early mastery of the medium, employing delicate hatching to model the fabric and cap, and deeper shadows to give the figure volume.
History & Provenance
The print dates to the middle of Rembrandt’s early period, a time when he was experimenting with portraiture and printmaking.
The print dates to the middle of Rembrandt’s early period, a time when he was experimenting with portraiture and printmaking. While the work has been included in several catalogues of his prints, its provenance is limited to museum and private collections that acquired it through the 19th and 20th centuries, reflecting its continued scholarly interest despite the unresolved question of authorship.
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.
