Where can I see this Rembrandt self-portrait?

This work is in the collection of the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Hermitage holds several works by Rembrandt.

How many self-portraits did Rembrandt make?

Rembrandt created approximately 100 self-portraits total: around 40 paintings, 31 confirmed etchings, and about 7 drawings spanning his entire career.

What technique is this work?

This is an etching, a printmaking technique where lines are scratched into a metal plate. Rembrandt helped raise etching to a fine art, producing highly prized impressions.

Where Is Head and Bust, Full Face? Museum Location

Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn created this dozens of self-portraits across his career, making himself one of art history's most documented faces. This etching shows his head and upper body viewed straight on, a direct confrontation between artist and viewer.

Rembrandt produced approximately 40 painted self-portraits, 31 etchings, and about seven drawings of himself. Modern scholarship, particularly the Rembrandt Research Project, has confirmed which works are authentic. Many of the etchings are informal, even playful: studies of extreme facial expressions or portraits in costume. He used himself as a convenient model to explore emotion and character.

The artist helped transform etching from a minor reproductive technique into a respected art form. His printed self-portraits carry as much weight as his painted ones. This work now belongs to the State Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg. Whether showing himself laughing, grimacing, or simply staring back at the viewer, Rembrandt's self-examinations remain among the most revealing portraits in Western art.