Rubens versus Rembrandt
Compared with his famous colleague Rembrandt (1606?-1663) Rubens painted remarkably few self-portraits: while Rembrandt painted about forty of them, Rubens left us just four. Another difference with Rembrandt is that Rubens always represented himself as a confident and distinguished gentleman in his self-portraits, never as a painter. The other three self-portraits are located in Florence, Vienna and the British royal collection respectively.
Informal
The self-portrait in the Rubens House is the most informal of the four. He probably also intended this work to be used in the studio, as a model that his assistants could copy. This self-portrait is traditionally dated around 1630, the year in which Rubens wed Helena Fourment. The painter was 53 years old at the time.
Specifications
- Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
- Self-portrait
- Oil on canvas
