Rembrandt made this self portrait when he was fifty-five years old. On the left, beside his shoulder, he has signed his name and the year in which he made the painting - 1661. Rembrandt pictured himself in a total of about eighty paintings, etchings and drawings. He made most of these for himself as study material: to study a facial expression or to try out contrasts between light and shade. Sometimes he used himself as a 'model' representing someone else, as is the case here. He has pictured himself as a biblical character, the apostle Saint Paul. [Oil on canvas, 91 x 77 cm] gandalfsgarden.blogspot.com/2010/12/rembrandt-self-portra...