Portrait of the Artist at His Easel, detail of the face

Dutch artist Rembrandt van Rijn painted this self-portrait at his easel in 1660, nine years before his death. The work shows the artist in old work clothes, presenting himself as a craftsman rather than a gentleman. This honest approach typified his late self-portraits, which surveyed his own face without vanity and with unflinching sincerity.

By 1660, Rembrandt had experienced both triumph and tragedy. He had been one of Amsterdam's most successful painters, then faced bankruptcy in 1656. His common-law wife Hendrickje and son Titus now managed his business affairs. Yet his art reached new depths during these difficult years, with self-portraits forming a unique visual autobiography.

The composition belongs to a series of standing self-portraits showing Rembrandt at work. Earlier versions from the 1650s established the format, including paintings now in Vienna and Washington. This 1660 canvas employs Rembrandt's characteristic tenebrism, with the figure emerging from darkness illuminated by directed light.

The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg holds this work (the main version is at the Louvre). Of approximately forty painted self-portraits by Rembrandt known today, those from his final decade rank among his greatest achievements. They show an artist confronting age, loss, and mortality with notable honesty.