Self-portrait
Artists depict themselves from antiquity to the present.
A self-portrait is a work of art in which the artist depicts themselves. While artists have created self-portraits since ancient times, it was only around the middle of the 1400s that we can regularly identify them, either as the main focus or as notable figures within a larger scene. The availability of better, more affordable mirrors, along with the rise of panel painting, led many painters, sculptors, and printmakers to try their hand at the form. The genre is an old one, but it truly gained widespread popularity during the Renaissance, a period marked by greater wealth and a growing fascination with the individual as a worthy subject.
By the Baroque era, most established artists had at least drawn themselves. Printed portraits of artists found a market, and many of these were self-portraits. They were also given as gifts to family and friends. For professional portraitists, a self-portrait kept in the studio served a practical purpose: it avoided the need to hire a model and acted as a demonstration of skill for potential clients. The sheer number of self-portraits produced by Rembrandt, in both paint and print, highlighted the form’s potential and likely encouraged others to follow suit.
A self-portrait can be a standalone image of the artist or a depiction of the artist included within a larger work, such as a group portrait. Many painters are known to have included specific individuals, including themselves, as figures in religious or other narrative scenes. These paintings were not intended to publicly present the actual persons as themselves, but the artist and patron would have known the truth, creating a talking point and a public test of the artist’s skill.
In the earliest surviving medieval and Renaissance examples, historical or mythical scenes from the Bible or classical literature used real people as models, often including the artist. This gave the work multiple functions as portraiture, self-portraiture, and history or myth painting. In such works, the artist usually appears as a face in the crowd, often near the edges or corners and behind the main subjects. Rubens’s *The Four Philosophers* (1611–12) is a good example. This practice peaked in the 17th century with the work of Jan de Bray. Many artistic media have been used, with paintings, drawings, and prints being especially important.
In the famous *Arnolfini Portrait* (1434), Jan v
- earliest known panel self-portrait
- Portrait of a Man in a Turban by Jan van Eyck, 1433
- earliest surviving childhood self-portra
- Albrecht Dürer, age 13, 1484
- notable early self-portraitist
- Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528)
- prolific self-portraitist
- Rembrandt (17th century)
- women painters with self-portraits
- Caterina van Hemessen, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Jenny Saville
Lore & Background
Self-portraits have been made since ancient times, with images of artists at work found in Ancient Egyptian painting and on Ancient Greek vases. While some early works, such as a carving attributed to the Pharaoh Akhenaten's chief sculptor Bak, have been speculatively identified as self-portraits, these claims are not widely accepted as factual firsts by established art historical canon. Plutarch mentions that the Ancient Greek sculptor Phidias included a likeness of himself in the 'Battle of the Amazons' on the Parthenon, though no painted self-portraits from that era survive. In medieval and Renaissance Europe, artists often included themselves as faces in the crowd or as figures in religious or historical scenes, such as Giotto di Bondone, Masaccio,
Reader's Guide
Self-portraits serve multiple functions: they avoid the need to arrange for a model, act as a demonstration of skill for potential clients, and can be given as gifts to family and friends. The unprecedented number of self-portraits by Rembrandt, both as paintings and prints, made clear the potential of the form and encouraged the trend. Women painters have historically used self-portraiture to embody roles such as the artist at work, often showing themselves holding a brush and palette. In Asia, self-portraits have a longer continuous history than in Europe, with traditions in Chinese scholar-gentleman painting and Zen Buddhist semi-caricatured works. From the later 20th century, video plays an increasing part in self-portraiture, adding the dimension of audio and allowing the person to speak to an audience in their own voice.
Did You Know?
- Portrait of a Man in a Turban by Jan van Eyck (1433) may well be the earliest known panel self-portrait.
- Albrecht Dürer depicted himself as a 13-year-old boy in 1484, one of the earliest surviving childhood self-portraits.
- Rembrandt painted a range of self-portraits, including The Prodigal Son in the Tavern (c. 1637), one of the earliest self-portraits with family.
- Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun painted a total of 37 self-portraits, many of which were copies of earlier ones painted for sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a self-portrait in visual arts?
A self-portrait is any artwork in which the creator depicts their own likeness as the subject. It can serve as the sole focus of a piece or appear as a recognizable figure embedded within a larger composition.
When did self-portraits first appear in art history?
Artists have been painting themselves since antiquity, but the form became reliably identifiable around the mid-1400s. Jan van Eyck's 1433 'Portrait of a Man in a Turban' is the earliest known panel self-portrait, and Albrecht Dürer's 1484 image of himself at age 13 is the oldest surviving childhood example.
Who are the most notable self-portrait artists?
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528) is a standout early figure, and Rembrandt in the 17th century produced an especially large body of self-portraits. Among women, Caterina van Hemessen, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Frida Kahlo, Alice Neel, Paula Modersohn-Becker, and Jenny Saville are well known for their self-representations.
Why did self-portraits gain widespread popularity during the Renaissance?
The spread of better, more affordable mirrors made it practical for artists to study their own faces, while the rise of panel painting offered a new medium to work in. Greater overall wealth and a cultural fascination with individual identity during the Renaissance further fueled the trend.
Can self-portraits be made in media other than painting?
Yes—the form extends well beyond canvas, encompassing sculpture, printmaking, and other visual disciplines. Any artist, regardless of medium or era, can create a self-portrait by turning their creative gaze toward their own image.
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