Self Portrait

Rembrandt made this self portrait when he was fifty-five years old. On the left, beside his shoulder, he has signed his name and the year in which he made the painting: 1661. Rembrandt pictured himself in a total of about eighty paintings, etchings and drawings. He made most of these for himself as study material: to study a facial expression or to try out contrasts between light and shade. Sometimes he used himself as a 'model' representing someone else, as is the case here. He has pictured himself as a biblical character, the apostleApostleThe apostles are the twelve followers of Christ sent by him to spread the Gospel. The twelve apostles are SS Peter, Andrew, James the Greater, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the Less, Simon the Zealot, Thaddaeus and Judas Iscariot (after the latter's betrayal, he was replaced by Matthias). St Paul joined the original twelve after Jesus' death. The apostles are also known as the disciples (followers). This term is generally reserved for their acts during Jesus' lifetime, they are referred to as apostles in the period after his death.St Paul.