Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul

Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul is an 1661 oil on canvas by Rembrandt, in which the artist presents himself as Saint Paul. It is one of more than forty self-portraits he is known to have made. The painting is signed and dated near the figure's left shoulder, and it is held in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It also appears in the BBC's list of 100 Great Paintings.

Rather than presenting himself as a painter, Rembrandt takes on the identity of a sacred figure, a practice known as the self-portrait historié, which was especially popular in the 1660s. Saint Paul is recognisable from his traditional attributes: the sword tucked under his arm and the manuscript he holds. Choosing himself as the model was probably deliberate, since suitable sitters were easy to find. It has been linked to Rembrandt's sense of kinship with the apostle, who held a prominent place in Protestant belief in the seventeenth century, and to the idea of Paul as a teacher, which may have paralleled Rembrandt's own use of art to explain scripture.

The handling is especially refined. Art historians think Rembrandt may have worked wet-on-wet. Quick strokes in the turban contrast with the thick paint on the lit forehead, which suggests wrinkles and reinforces the sense of space. The pages of the book curl slightly at the top, catching the light, while the rolled leather beside them sinks into shadow. Its bluish-grey tones stand out from a palette of browns and beiges. Ernst van de Wetering suggests Rembrandt may have worked from earlier self-portraits rather than a mirror, since the pose and features echo those works.

Rembrandt had painted Saint Paul since 1627, when he showed the apostle with a long beard and receding hair. In this later canvas the face looks much more like the artist's own self-portraits, which gives the work its character as a blend of personal identity and religious tradition.

Painter

Rembrandt

Date

1661

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

91 × 77 cm

Museum

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Movement

Dutch Golden Age painting

Genre

self-portrait, historiated portrait

Depicts

Rembrandt, man, Paul the Apostle

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