Rembrandt Self-Portrait with Two Circles: What Do the Circles Mean?

In this article

Rembrandt at about sixty

Rembrandt painted himself throughout his life, in drawings, etchings and around forty paintings. This large canvas comes from near the end. English Heritage, which cares for it at Kenwood House in London, says it was begun around 1665, when he was 59.

By then Rembrandt had gone through bankruptcy and the loss of his wife and most of his children. He was still working, and still taking large commissions. In this portrait, he presents himself not as a gentleman but as a working painter, with palette and brushes in hand.

A face painted without flattery

Rembrandt’s lined face in a white cap, looking directly out — A face painted without flattery.

The face looks straight at us. The skin is lined and heavy, with pouches under the eyes and a slight frown. Rembrandt built it up with layers of thick paint, sometimes scraped and textured, so that it seems to catch light like real skin.

A white cap covers his head, painted with a few broad, quick strokes. Grey curls escape on either side. The contrast between the dense, worked face and the loose cap is typical of his late style.

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Two mysterious circles

Large circular arc drawn on the pale wall behind the painter — The meaning of the circles is still debated.

Behind him, on the pale wall, two large circular arcs are drawn. One is clearly visible at the right; the other is fainter at the left. They are the feature that gives the painting its name, and nobody knows for certain what they mean.

English Heritage summarises the main ideas: a perfect circle could demonstrate artistic skill, recalling the legend of the painter Giotto who drew a perfect circle freehand; the circles might represent the two hemispheres of a world map; or they might have a religious meaning. None has been proven.

The tools of his trade

Palette, brushes and maulstick painted with quick strokes — The tools of the painter’s trade.

In his left hand, Rembrandt holds a palette, several brushes and a maulstick, a long stick painters used to steady the hand. They are painted with rapid, sketchy strokes, almost unfinished.

The right hand is hardly described at all. Some see this as deliberate, focusing attention on the face; others as evidence that the canvas was never fully completed.

From Guinness to Kenwood

The portrait was bought in 1888 by Edward Cecil Guinness, later 1st Earl of Iveagh. He left it, with 62 other paintings and the Kenwood estate, to the nation. It has been displayed at Kenwood ever since, and the house has been cared for by English Heritage since 1986.

Under the terms of the Iveagh Bequest, Kenwood remains free to visit, so this is one of the most important Rembrandts that anyone can see without a ticket.

Questions about Self-Portrait with Two Circles

What do the circles mean?

Their meaning is uncertain. Suggestions include a demonstration of skill, the hemispheres of the world or a religious symbol.

Where is the original?

Kenwood House, London (Iveagh Bequest, English Heritage).

When was it painted?

Begun around 1665, late in Rembrandt’s life.

How large is it?

About 114 × 94 centimetres, oil on canvas.

Sources and image credit

Faithful public-domain reproduction of Self-Portrait with Two Circles (about 1665 to 1669), via Wikimedia Commons. Detail images are crops of the same historical painting; no reconstruction or upscaling.