Copyright by Laura Mareike Sager 2006 - The University of Texas at ...

communicating with himself while he painted” 187 does not sufficiently explain
these works.
Moreover, due to the different market and new socio-economic
circumstances, a new system of patronage emerged that also forced the artists to
reconsider their roles (ibid. 6). Thus, many of Rembrandt’s self portraits also
represent his pictorial redefinition of his artistic self and his professional identity.
In fact, in several self portraits, he depicts himself in sixteenth or even fifteenth-
century attire, emphasizing an emulation of famous predecessors such as Dürer
(van de Wetering 44). This is the case, for example in his Self Portrait at the Age
of 34 (1640, London, National Gallery), and it is this picture that Alexander
Korda’s film begins with.
Artistic Ambitions: Self Portrait at the Age of 34
Leaning over a balustrade with his right arm, Rembrandt is turning
towards and looking directly at the viewer. His clothing is not contemporary, but
a costume consisting of pieces dating between 1520 and 1530. 188 Such portraits a
l’antique were coming into vogue and appealed to the elite class. Thus, critics
have often assumed that Rembrandt wanted to portray his social rank and social
climbing in this self portrait. And indeed, it was painted at the height of his
success, two years before The Night Watch. However, more than social
187 Manuel Gasser, Das Selbstbildnis (Zürich: Kindler, 1961) 88. (Translation quoted in van de
Wetering 10.)
188 Rembrandt by himself, eds. Christopher White and Quentin Buvelot (London: National
Gallery; The Hague: Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis, 1999) 173. This exhibition catalog
of Rembrandt’s self portraits provides helpful information about the production, style, history, and
interpretations of each picture. From here on, it will be cited as Rembrandt in the text.
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