33K image |
101K image
*Image viewer provided by Web Gallery of Art. |
 Rembrandt has depicted himself as a Eastern potentate. This is the only occasion that Rembrandt painted a full length portrait of himself. In the 1630's he had trouble painting full length portraits and this is revealed in a X-radiograph of the painting. He had painted his feet but was dissatisfied with them and shorted the legs. He did this by adding in the dog in front of his legs. A poodle might seem like an odd choice but at the time they were used as hunting dogs and hunting was a past time of the noble and rich, so the poodle became a status symbol. So it is quite possible that Rembrandt chose this breed to enhance the princely status of his disguise. |
