https://emuseum.cornell.edu/internal/media/dispatcher/99593/fullSelf-portrait Leaning on a Stone Sill16397 7/8 × 6 3/8 inches (20 × 16.2 cm)Etching with touches of drypoint on laid paperBequest of William P. Chapman, Jr., Class of 189557.1230Prints1838711115Rembrandt van RijnBy the time Rembrandt made this self-portrait, he had become a successful artist in Amsterdam, and aspects of this image communicate his achievement. Here, he makes explicit references to two iconic Italian Renaissance portraits - Raphael's Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione at the Louvre Museum in Paris, and Titian's Portrait of a Man at the National Gallery in London - assuming the pose of one and donning an elaborate sixteenth-century costume and hat as in the other. By alluding to both portraits, Rembrandt aligns himself with his illustrious predecessors—known, as he would come to be, by their first names alone. He also showcases his skill as an etcher through his ability to capture the tactile quality of the fur that lines his coat as well as his light, wispy hair. <br>
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(“Lines of Inquiry: Learning from Rembrandt's Etchings," curated by Andrew C. Weislogel and presented at the Johnson Museum September 23–December 17, 2017)57.123.1stview