Self-portrait as the Apostle Paul

The self-portrait as the apostle Paul is a self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn, which is dated 1661. The 91 centimeters high and 77 centimeters wide, running with oil on canvas painting belongs to a series of self-portraits that make comprehensible the aging process of Rembrandt. The plant is located in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Image description

In the self- portrait as the Apostle Paul Rembrandt plays a historical role and is thus in a wider narrative context. The picture shows the dark-clad Rembrandt against a predominantly dark background. Only the upper-left corner of the image in which the signature is attached is brighter. The white turban he wears as a head covering, is the brightest portion of the image. In the hands of Rembrandt holds a copy of the Old Testament, the letters of the Hebrew language are modeled. The sword as a typical attribute of the Apostle Paul of Tarsus, who so aggressively spread his teachings and was executed with such, is only indicated with his knob. Paul was one of the greatest apostle who proselytized in the eastern Mediterranean and announced his interpretation of Christian doctrine. He advocated that the happiness of the people in the liberation lies through love of God and not in compliance with any laws. This doctrine was taken up again in the Reformation of Luther. That Rembrandt portrayed himself in the role of the apostle Paul, is also in response to his own life, which was not completely, understood and therefore as an admission of dependence on God's grace.