Jan Steen’s Self-portrait is the only formal self-portrait made by the artist. The artist used a traditional format, his pose is simple but dignified, and the painting has an air of respectability. It stands in contrast to his other self-portrait, Self-portrait with a lute (ca. 1663-1665), where the artist plays the role of a musician or a theatre actor. Steen also inserted himself in many of his group genre paintings, that depicted common people engaged in everyday activities. In Merry Company on a Terrace (ca. 1673-1675), he assumes the role of the inebriated innkeeper, and in Doctor’s Visit (ca.1663-1665), he plays the role of the joker, grinning mischievously and making a suggestive gesture. Steen was known as a comic painter, and in his art he emphasized the theatrical and flamboyant aspect of his persona. However, it would be misleading to conflate these portrayals with Steen’s personality and his identity as an artist. Self-portrait shows a more formal and serious side, that gives a fuller perspective on Steen as an artist.
Steen’s painting is a type of self-portrait associated with the tradition of artistic emulation. Specifically, the Dutch self-portrait was advanced by the artworks of Rembrandt, who also built upon and was inspired by portraits of Italian masters such as Raphael and Titian. Rembrandt’s works, such as the etching Self-portrait leaning on a stone sill (1639) and the painting Self Portrait (1640), became quintessential models for artworks of self-portraiture. By emulating and imitating this type of self-portrait, artists had an opportunity to express their knowledge and virtuosity, pushing themselves to surpass the given model and outperform their predecessors. Rembrandt inspired artists such as Ferdinand Bol in Self Portrait (ca. 1669) and Frans van Mieris the Elder in Self-Portrait as a Painter (1667).
Steen adopted this model, but at the same time transformed it in a way that expressed his artistic point of view. In his self-portrait, Steen chose to adorn a contemporary black garment, similar to his attire in Dissolute Household (1661-1664) and The way you hear it (ca. 1663-1665). This contrasts Rembrandt’s choice of costume that was inspired by antiquity. Similarly, Steen rejected the architectural elements associated with antiquity, like the Italian inspired stone ledge in Rembrandt’s Self-portrait leaning on a stone sill or the cupid statue in Bol’s Self Portrait. The allusions to antiquity were used to bolster the artist’s status, by connecting their self-portraits to the grand tradition of painting and art. In contrast, Steen posed in front of a landscape while leaning on a simple chair.
A technological study of the painting revealed that Steen originally painted himself with a broader smile, but repainted his face afterwards. In the end, the artist leaves only a hint of a smile and a certain cunningness in his glare. This indicates that the artist opted to conform to conventions of decorum, because a broad smile would be considered inappropriate for a formal portrait. Steen’s Self-portrait demonstrates a more casual, modest and local approach to self-portraiture. Steen chose not to place himself in the context of the grand tradition of art history; he rather presented himself in contemporary clothing as a man of his time.
