Footnotes

• Provenance
  With a Fine Art Society label on the back of the frame, February 1942, London.
  
  Rembrandt is known for his insightful and expressive portrayals of the human character and his fondness for experimentation. He produced 32 self-portrait etchings and over 30 studies of men and women during his career. The studies were not portraits of particular people, but rather 'types' observed and recorded by the artist to practise a range of facial expressions and the interaction between figures. Thus we see several images produced on one plate, reminiscent of a sketchbook page, which has been rotated three times to accommodate a self-portrait, a beggar couple and the heads of an elderly man and woman. Rembrandt crops his figures tightly to concentrate on the portrayal of the expressions.
  This etching was produced a year after Rembrandt had moved to Amsterdam and was establishing his reputation. He was adept at depicting his own features, having practised his expressions in front of a mirror and was familiar with the use of chiaroscuro to achieve psychological depth. The direct gaze towards the viewer displays his growing confidence in his ability and a wish to connect with his audience.