Rembrandt’s clothes — Dress and meaning in his self-portraits (original) (raw)

A Corpus of Rembrandt Paintings, 2005

Abstract

One of the most remarkable features of Rembrandt’s presentation of himself in his self-portraits is his attire, the diversity and frequently prominent treatment of which significantly contribute to the great variety of self-portraits in his oeuvre. As clothing always conveys certain messages, it represents an important means of creating a specific image of oneself. This justifies an investigation of clothing as signifier in general, and makes it an interesting tool in the study of self-portraits in particular. What statements does Rembrandt make through his clothing? Does the dress in his self-portraits indicate a particular social rank (that of burgher, gentleman or artist) or is it perhaps also an expression of certain art-theoretical ideals (that of the pictor doctus or pictor vulgaris)? Because we have scarcely any personal statements by Rembrandt, certainly in comparison with Rubens for instance, how he perceived himself as an artist, his self-portraits represent the appropriate vehicle for exploring this.

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