Self-Portrait

c. 1630

Judith Leyster

Artist, Dutch, 1609 - 1660

Shown from about the waist up, a woman with smooth, pale skin sits in a chair facing our right in front of a canvas on an easel in this vertical portrait. She leans onto her right elbow, which rests on the seat back. She turns her face to look at us, lips slightly parted. Her dress has a black bodice and a deep rose-pink skirt and sleeves. She wears a translucent white cap over her hair, which has been tightly pulled back. A stiff, white, plate-like ruff encircles her neck and reaches to her shoulders. She holds a paintbrush in her right hand and clutches about twenty brushes, a wooden paint palette, and a rag in her left hand, at the bottom right of the canvas. The painting behind her shows a man wearing robin's egg-blue and playing a violin.

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Here is Dutch artist Judith Leyster at her easel, taking a break from painting to engage with us. In what might be considered an early selfie, she leans her forearm on the chair and suspends her paintbrush in midair, as if she’ll turn back to the canvas in a moment. Leyster, recognized as a master artist in the Saint Luke’s Guild of Haarlem, was publicly praised for her work. This was a rare accomplishment for a woman in 17th-century Holland. She wields the tools of her trade—a palette and no fewer than 18 paintbrushes—with confidence and joy.

Self-Portrait (English)
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    oil on canvas

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss

  • Dimensions

    overall: 74.6 × 65.1 cm (29 3/8 × 25 5/8 in.)
    framed: 99.7 × 91.12 × 8.89 cm (39 1/4 × 35 7/8 × 3 1/2 in.)

  • Accession

    1949.6.1

More About this Artwork

Shown from about the waist up, a woman with smooth, pale skin sits in a chair facing our right in front of a canvas on an easel in this vertical portrait. She leans onto her right elbow, which rests on the seat back. She turns her face to look at us, lips slightly parted. Her dress has a black bodice and a deep rose-pink skirt and sleeves. She wears a translucent white cap over her hair, which has been tightly pulled back. A stiff, white, plate-like ruff encircles her neck and reaches to her shoulders. She holds a paintbrush in her right hand and clutches about twenty brushes, a wooden paint palette, and a rag in her left hand, at the bottom right of the canvas. The painting behind her shows a man wearing robin's egg-blue and playing a violin.

Interactive Article:  Art up Close: Judith Leyster, the Leading Star of Her Time

Her paintings were passed off as the works of her male contemporaries. Get to know 17th century painter Judith Leyster through the hidden details of her lively self-portrait.

Scholarly Article:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century: Self-Portrait, c. 1630

This horizontal painting shows a group of eight light-skinned musicians and onlookers gathered closely around a rectangular, carpet-covered table. The front edge of the table runs parallel to the bottom edge of the painting, and seems close to us. Shown from about the waist up, the men and women’s vivid lapis-blue, coral-red, buttercup-yellow, lilac-purple, and moss-green garments fall in crisp folds. Bright reflections on the fabric suggest a satin-like material. Two women wear feathers in their hair and one man’s hat is plumed. One man, wearing crimson red and black, sits with his back to us to our left on the near side of the table. He holds the neck of a bass viol, about the size of a cello, with his left hand, and points to pages of an open music book with the bow in his right hand. The other people cluster on the far side of the table. A man to the left plays a violin; a woman at the center plays a guitar-sized bandora, and a woman to our right plays a lute. The musicians, along with a man who leans over the table from between the two women, look down at the music books. A young man behind the woman at the center holds up a glass of pale liquid with his right hand as he touches his left forefinger to his smiling lips. A man and woman stand close together in the background to our right, in the top right corner of the canvas.

Scholarly Series:  Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Possibly the painting identified as a painting by Frans Hals depicting his daughter at the easel that appeared in four London sales between 1810 and 1812.[1] E.M. Grainger, Hastings, Sussex; Mrs. Granger, Bexhil-on-Sea, East Sussex;[2] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 16 April 1926, no. 115); purchased by E. Smith, probably for a London dealer.[3] private collection, New York, in 1928.[4] (Ehrich Galleries, New York); purchased 9 May 1929 by Mr. and Mrs. Robert Woods Bliss, Washington, D.C.;[5] gift 1949 to NGA.
[1] This suggestion was made by Burton Fredericksen. In a letter of 12 December 2002 to Arthur Wheelock (in NGA curatorial files) Fredericksen writes that the lack of recorded dimensions, the low price at which the painting was bought in, and the fact that it was part of a group of minor paintings prevent a firm conclusion, although paintings by Hals did not bring high prices at the beginning of the nineteenth century. For the first three sales, the painting was described as The Portrait of F. Hals' Daughter by F. Hals; for the fourth sale it was The Painter's Daughter at her Easel, also by Hals. The sales are as follows: consigned by a Dr. Biam (or Byam) along with four other paintings to Christie's, London, 7 July 1810, no. 161, bought in; the same consignor to Christie's, London, 8 March 1811, no. 65, bought in; consigned by "Pritchard" to Christie's, London, 19 April 1811, no. 157; anonymous consignor to Peter Coxe, London, 3 June 1812, no. 28, bought in.
[2] Lynda McLeod, Librarian, Christie’s Archives, kindly provided the name of the consignor; see her e-mail of 1 August 2012, in NGA curatorial files. Despite the slight difference in the spelling of the last name, E.M. Grainger and Mrs. Granger were likely related.
[3] Information on this purchaser is from an annotated copy of the 1926 sale catalogue, and various articles in London papers giving the sale results; copies in NGA curatorial files.
[4] The owner of the painting is identified in this way in Wilhelm R. Valentiner, "Rediscovered Paintings by Frans Hals," Art in America 16 (1928): 239, fig. 2.
[5] The purchase date is in the donor's collection records for the painting, in NGA curatorial files.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1933

  • A Century of Progress Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute of Chicago, 1933, no. 64, as by Frans Hals.

1937

  • Frans Hals Tentoonstelling ter gelegenheid van het 75-jarig bestaan van het gemeentelijk Museum te Haarlem, Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, 1937, no. 9, repro., as by Frans Hals.

  • Paintings by Frans Hals: Exhibition for the Benefit of New York University, Schaeffer Galleries, Inc., New York, 1937, no. 3, as by Frans Hals.

  • Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century, John Herron Art Museum, Indianapolis, 1937, no. 22, as by Frans Hals.

1988

  • People at Work: Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art, Hofstra Museum, Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York, 1988, no. 11.

1993

  • Judith Leyster: A Dutch Master and Her World, Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem; Worcester Art Museum, Massachusetts, 1993, no. 7, repro.

  • Judith Leyster: "Leading Star," National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, D.C., 1993-1994, brochure, color repro.

1999

  • Elck zijn waerom: Vrouwelijke kunstenaars in België en Nederland, 1500-1950 [As You Will: Women Artists in the Netherlands and Belgium, 1500-1950], Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp; Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem, 1999-2000, no. 34.

2001

  • Face to Face: Portraits from Five Centuries, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2001-2002, no. 35, repro.

2002

  • Jan Miense Molenaer: Painter of the Dutch Golden Age, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Indianapolis Museum of Art (Columbus Gallery); Currier Museum of Art, Manchester, New Hampshire, 2002-2003, fig. 8 (shown only in Raleigh).

2003

  • Loan to display with permanent collection, National Gallery, London, 2003-2004.

2005

  • Self Portrait: Renaissance to Contemporary, National Portrait Gallery, London; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2005-2006, no. 11, repro.

2009

  • Judith Leyster, 1609-1660 [Judith Leyster's 400th Anniversary], National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem, 2009-2010, unnumbered brochure, cover repro.

2015

  • Dutch Self-Portraits -- Selfies of the Golden Age, Royal Picture Gallery Mauritshuis, The Hague, 2015-2016, no. 3, repro.

Bibliography

1928

  • Valentiner, Wilhelm R. "Rediscovered Paintings by Frans Hals." Art in America 16 (1928): 238-247, repro.

1929

  • "Illustrierte Berichte." _Pantheon _ 4 (July 1929): 337, 343, repro.

  • "Auktionsnachrichten." Kunst und Künstler July (1929): 412, repro.

1930

  • Dülberg, Franz. Frans Hals: Ein Leben und ein Werk. Stuttgart, 1930: 41-42, repro.

  • Gratama, Gerrit David. "Het Portret van Judith Leyster door Frans Hals." Oud Holland 47 (1930): 71-75, repro.

1933

  • Rich, Daniel Catton. "Die Ausstellung ‘Fünf Jahrhunderte der Frühmalerei’ in Chicago." Pantheon 11 (January 1933): 380, repro.

  • Frankfurter, Alfred M. "Art in the Century of Progress." The Fine Arts 20, no. 2 (June 1933): repro. 24.

  • Rich, Daniel Catton, ed. A Century of Progress: Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture. Exh. cat. Art Institute of Chicago. Chicago, 1933: no. 64, repro.

1937

  • Rich, Daniel Catton. "Review of Wilhelm R. Valentiner's 'Frans Hals Paintings in America'." Art in America 25 (July 1937): 130–137.

  • Trivas, Numa S. "The Frans Hals Exhibition at Haarlem." _Connoisseur _ 100 (November 1937): repro. 228, 229.

  • Frans Hals tentoonstelling ter gelegenheid van het 75-jarig bestaan van het Gemeentelijk Museum te Haarlem op 30 juni 1937. Exh. cat. Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem, 1937: no. 9, repro.

  • "Hands by Frans Hals: Fine Examples of the Skill of a Master in Portraying an Elusive Feature." Illustrated London News (25 September 1937): 532, 534, repros.

  • Schaeffer Galleries. Paintings by Frans Hals. New York, 1937: 3.

  • John Herron Art Institute. Dutch Paintings, Etchings, Drawings, Delftware of the Seventeenth Century. Exh. cat. John Herron Art Museum, Indianapolis, 1937: no. 22, repro.

1963

  • Hall, H. van. Portretten van Nederlandse beeldende kunstenaars: Repertorium. Amsterdam, 1963: 187, nos. 2, 5.

1965

  • National Gallery of Art. Summary Catalogue of European Paintings and Sculpture. Washington, 1965: 75.

1968

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings and Sculpture, Illustrations. Washington, 1968: 66, repro.

1970

  • Slive, Seymour. Frans Hals. 3 vols. National Gallery of Art Kress Foundation Studies in the History of European Art. London, 1970–1974: 3(1974):152-153.

  • Grimm, Claus. "Ein meisterliches Künstlerporträt: Frans Hals’ Ostade-Bildnis." _Oud Holland _ 85 (1970): 146-178, repro.

1971

  • Grimm, Claus. "Frans Hals und seine Schule." Münchner Jahrbuch der Bildenden Kunst 22 (1971): 146, 148, repro.

1973

  • Iskin, Ruth. "Sexual and Self-Imagery in Art: Male and Female." _Womanspace Journal _ 1 (1973): 7.

1974

  • Montagni, E.C. L’opera completa di Frans Hals. Classici dell’Arte. Milan, 1974: 112-113, no. 249, repro.

  • Tufts, Eleanor. Our Hidden Heritage: Five Centuries of Women Artists. New York, 1974: 71-72, repro.

1975

  • Munsterberg, Hugo. A History of Women Artists. New York, 1975: 26-27, repro.

  • National Gallery of Art. European paintings: An Illustrated Summary Catalogue. Washington, 1975: 194, repro.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. New York, 1975: 287, no. 382, repro.

1976

  • Daniëls, G.L.M. "Doe heb ick uyt verkooren...." _Antiek _ 11 (1976/1977): 336, repro. 340.

  • Montagni, E.C. Tout l'oeuvre peint de Frans Hals. Translated by Simone Darses. Les classiques de l'art. Paris, 1976: 112-113, no. 249, repro.

  • Harris, Ann Sutherland, and Linda Nochlin. Women Artists 1550-1950. Exh. cat. Los Angeles Museum of Art, 1976: 139.

1978

  • King, Marian. Adventures in Art: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. New York, 1978: 50-51, pl. 27.

1983

  • Hofrichter, Frima Fox. "Judith Leyster's 'Self-Portrait': 'Ut Pictura Poesis." In Essays in northern European art presented to Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann on his sixtieth birthday. Edited by Anne-Marie Logan. Doornspijk, 1983: 106-109, repro. nos. 1, 3.

1984

  • Raupp, Hans-Joachim. Untersuchungen zu Künstlerbildnis und Künstlerdarstellung in den Niederlanden im 17. Jahrhundert. Studien zur Kunstgeschichte. Hildesheim, 1984: 346-347.

  • Sutton, Peter C. Masters of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Genre Painting. Edited by Jane Iandola Watkins. Exh. cat. Philadelphia Museum of Art; Gemäldegalerie, Staatliche Museen Preussischer Kulturbesitz, Berlin; Royal Academy of Arts, London. Philadelphia, 1984: 234-235, repro.

  • Walker, John. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Rev. ed. New York, 1984: 287, no. 376, color repro.

1985

  • National Gallery of Art. European Paintings: An Illustrated Catalogue. Washington, 1985: 227, repro.

1986

  • Sutton, Peter C. A Guide to Dutch Art in America. Grand Rapids and Kampen, 1986: 309.

  • Mittler, Gene A. Art in Focus. Peoria, 1986: 260-261, repro.

1987

  • Heller, Nancy G. Women Artists: An Illustrated History. New York, 1987: 213 n. 20.

  • Schama, Simon. The Embarrassment of Riches: An Interpretation of Dutch Culture in the Golden Age. New York, 1987: 415-416, repro. no. 196.

1988

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. "The Art Historian in the Laboratory: Examinations into the History, Preservation, and Techniques of 17th Century Dutch Painting." In The Age of Rembrandt : studies in seventeenth-century Dutch painting. Papers in art history from the Pennsylvania State University 3. Edited by Roland E. Fleischer and Susan Scott Munshower. University Park, Pennsylvia, 1988: 220; 236, fig. 9-19; 237, fig. 9-20, X-ray; 238, fig. 9-21, infrared photo.

  • Barnes, Donna R., and Linda Stone-Ferrier. People at Work: Seventeenth-Century Dutch Art. Exh. cat. Hofstra Museum, Hempstead, 1988: 40: 7-8, 23, no. 11, repro.

1989

  • Hofrichter, Frima Fox. Judith Leyster: A woman painter in Holland's Golden Age. Aetas aurea 9. Doornspijk, 1989: 15, 24, 51-53, no. 21, pls. 21, 55, 56, 57, color plate x.

1990

  • Grimm, Claus. Frans Hals: The Complete Work. Translated by Jürgen Riehle. New York, 1990: 238-239, fig. 127b (detail).

1992

  • Fiero, Gloria K. The Age of the Baroque and the European Enlightenment. The Humanist Tradition 4. 1st ed. [7th ed. 2015] Dubuque, Iowa, 1992: 49-50, fig. 22.12.

1993

  • Welu, James A., and Pieter Biesboer. Judith Leyster: Schilderes in een Mannenwereld. Exh. cat. Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem. Zwolle, 1993: 21, 47, 71, 83, 85, 95-96, 103-105, 119, 162-167, 305, no. 7, repro.

  • Silver, Larry. Art in History. New York, 1993: 24-25, fig. 1.9.

  • Welu, James A., and Pieter Biesboer. Judith Leyster: A Dutch Master and Her World. Exh. cat. Frans Halsmuseum, Haarlem; Worcester Art Museum. Haarlem, 1993: 21, 47, 71, 83, 85, 95-96, 103-105, 119, 162-167, 305, no. 7, repro.

1994

  • Hofrichter, Frima Fox. Judith Leyster: ‘Leading Star'. Exh. brochure. National Museum of Women in the Arts, Washington, 1994: unpaginated repro.

  • Thorborg, Lia. "Judith Leyster, meester-schilder uit de Gouden Eeuw." Reader’s Digest (October 1994): 80-85, repro.

  • Sutton, Peter C. "Dutch Treat: Review of 'Judith Leyster: A Dutch Master and Her World.'" New York Review of Books 41, no. 4 (February 17, 1994): 31-33, repro.

  • Springer, Julie. "Women, Power, and Empowering Imagery." Art Education 47, no. 5 (September 1994): 27-29, repro.

  • Satapen, Nancy. "Who Art the Women Old Masters?" Art News 93 (March 1994): 87-94, repro.

  • Balken, Debra Bricker. "Dutch Master Recovered." Art in America (May 1994): 97-99, repro.

1995

  • Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. New York, 1995: 788, fig. 19-47.

  • Wheelock, Arthur K., Jr. Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century. The Collections of the National Gallery of Art Systematic Catalogue. Washington, 1995: 155-159, color repro. 157.

  • Huntley, Merle. Art in Outline 2: From Rock Art to the Late 18th Century. Oxford, 1995: 185, repro.

  • Fleming, William. Arts & Ideas. 9th ed. Fort Worth, 1995: 441, 443 fig. 15.3..

  • Fiero, Gloria K. The Age of the Baroque and the European Enlightenment. The Humanistic Tradition 4. 2nd ed. [7th ed. 2015] Madison, 1995: 56, fig. 22.12.

1996

  • Westermann, Mariët. A Worldly Art: the Dutch Republic, 1585-1718. New York, 1996: 159, 161, fig. 117, repro.

1997

  • Mittler, Gene A., and Rosalind Ragans. Understanding Art. New York, 1997: 181, fig. 12-5a.

  • Muller, Sheila D. Dutch art: an encyclopedia. Garland reference library of the humanities 1021. New York and London, 1997: 222-223, fig. 75.

1998

  • Fiero, Gloria K. Faith, Reason and Power in the Early Modern World. The Humanist Tradition 4. 3rd ed. New York, 1998: no. 22.12, repro.

  • Matthews, Roy T., and F. DeWitt Platt. The Western Humanities. 3rd ed. Mountain View, California, 1998: no. 14.19, repro.

  • Codell, Julie F. "Artists/Art." In Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. Edited by Helene E. Roberts. 2 vols. Chicago, 1998: 2:60-61, 65, repro.

  • Self-Portraits II: Women." In Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. Edited by Helene E. Roberts. 2 vols. Chicago, 1998: 2:808

  • Huet, Leen, and Jan Grieten. Oude meesteressen: vrouwelijke kunstenaars in de Nederlanden. Leuven, 1998: 134-145, fig. 6.

  • Roberts, Helene E., ed. Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art. 2 vols. Chicago, 1998: 1:808-809.

1999

  • Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. 2 vols. Revised ed. New York, 1999: 2:786-787, fig. 19-43.

  • Stighelen, Katlijne van der, and Mirjam Westen. Elck zijn waerom: vrouwelijke kunstenaars in België en Nederland 1500-1950. Exh. cat. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp; Museum voor Moderne Kunst, Arnhem. Antwerp, 1999: 158-162, no. 34, repro.

  • Mittler, Gene A. Introducing Art. New York, 1999: 80, fig. 5-1.

2000

  • Kirsh, Andrea, and Rustin S. Levenson. Seeing Through Paintings: Physical Examination in Art Historical Studies. Materials and Meaning in the Fine Arts 1. New Haven, 2000: 182-183, figs. 190-193, repro.

  • Mittler, Gene A. Art in Focus. 4th ed. New York, 2000: 436, repro.

  • Weller, Dennis P. Like Father, Like Son? Portraits by Frans Hals and Jan Hals. Exh. cat. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, 2000: fig. 4.

  • Savedoff, Barbara E. Transforming Images: How Photography Complicates the Picture. Ithaca, 2000: 12-15, repro.

  • Heller, Nancy. Women Artists: Works from the National Museum of Women in the Arts. New York, 2000: 27, repro.

2002

  • Cavalli-Björkman, Görel, and Eva-Lena Karlsson. Face to Face: Portraits from five centuries. Exh. cat. Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 2002: 98, 104, 117-118, no. 35, repro.

  • Weller, Dennis P. Jan Miense Molenaer: Painter of the Dutch Golden Age. Exh. cat. North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh; Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis; Currier Museum of Art, Manchester. Raleigh, 2002: 16, fig. 8.

2003

  • Nakamura, Toshiharu. Dutch art in the age of Frans Hals from the collection of the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem. Exh. cat. Niigata Kenritsu Bandaijima Bijutsukan; Toyohashi-shi Bijutsu Hakubutsukan; Sakura Shiritsu Bijutsukan. Tokyo, 2003: 115, fig. 4, repro.

  • Hofrichter, Frima Fox. "A Light in the Galaxy: Judith Leyster." In Singular Women: Writing the Artist. Edited by Kirsten Frederickson and Sarah E. Webb. Berkeley, 2003: 36-47, fig. 2.

2004

  • Hand, John Oliver. National Gallery of Art: Master Paintings from the Collection. Washington and New York, 2004: 194-195, no. 154, color repro.

  • Droz-Emmert, Marguerite. Catharina van Hemessen: Malerin der Renaissance. Basel, 2004: 148-151, fig. 28.

  • "Three loans from the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC." The National Gallery Review (2004): 24-25, repro.

2005

  • Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History. Rev. 2nd ed. Upper Saddle River, 2005: 766, color fig. 19.52.

  • Bond, Anthony, and Joanna Woodall. "Judith Leyster: Self-Portrait." In Self portrait: Renaissance to contemporary. Exh. cat. National Portrait Gallery, London; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney. London, 2005: 104-105, no. II, repro.

2006

  • Kleinert, Katja. Atelierdarstellungen in der niederländischen Genremalerei des 17. Jahrhunderts: realistisches Abbild oder glaubwürdiger Schein?. Petersberg, 2006: 48-49, fig. 18.

2007

  • Janson, Horst W., and Penelope J. E. Davies. Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition. 2 vols. 7th ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 2007: 714-715, repro.

2009

  • Hofrichter, Frima Fox. Judith Leyster (1609-1660). Exh. brochure. National Gallery of Art, Washington, 2009: 1, repro.

2013

  • Beyer, Andreas. "Bilder der Frauen." Weltkunst 78 (Oktober 2013): 30, color fig.

2023

  • Steinhauer, Jillian. "Missing the Picture: The Problem with a History of Art that Cuts Out Men." The New Republic 254, no. 9: 54, color repro.

Wikidata ID

Q18888002

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