Rembrandt Face to Face

This book is a close examination of one of the earliest of the more than seventy self-portraits in painting, drawing, and print that Rembrandt produced. Painted around 1629, it depicts a young artist in his twenties, in gorget and cap. The phrase "Rembrandt self-portrait" instantly conjures up an image of a world-weary, ruddy-cheeked man, donning a floppy hat and gazing at us benignly while alert to the source of his next guilder. By stark contrast, the Clowes Rembrandt portrays a soft-whiskered youth with a surprised expression, open mouth, and dashing military garb. The spontaneity of this image sets it apart from much else in Rembrandt's oeuvre. Stephanie S. Dickey's penetrating study of the Clowes Rembrandt is a model of acute observation and rigorous research. By retracing the place of this work in Rembrandt's canon, Dutch society in the early 17th century, the genre of self-portraiture, and pertinent iconographical traditions, she allow us to approach a work familiar to many with fresh eyes.