Rembrandt Face to Face - STEPHANIE S. DICKEY

Oct 13, 2026

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A scholarly exhibition book centers on the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Clowes Rembrandt and its contested identification as a Rembrandt self-portrait. The foreword contrasts familiar imagery of Rembrandt’s self-portraits with the Clowes version, then explains how Rembrandt Research Project scholarship and scientific study led to a renewed attribution to about 1629. It also addresses questions of naturalism, pupil-made copies, provenance across European owners, and the value of rigorous connoisseurship and patron support for Old Master research.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages80

Reading Time2 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Foreword

Rembrandt Face to Face

Historical Record

Works Cited

电 mbrandt Face to Face # Rembrandt Face to Face Rembrandt Face to Face STEPHANIE S.DICKEY Indianapolis Museum of Art | 31730079618117 | | --- | This book and the exhibition Rembrandt Face to Face(Indianapolis Museum of Art,August 6-November 26,2006)were made possible by support from the David L.Chambers,Jr.Fundfor Dutch and Flemish Art. STEPHANIE S.DICKEY is Bader Chair in NorthernBaroque Art at Queen's University in Kingston,Ontario.From 1995 to 2006,she taught art history at HerronSchool of Art and Design,Indiana University-PurdueUniversity Indianapolis.A graduate of the Instituteof Fine Arts,New York University,Dickey is the authorof Rembrandt:Portraits in Print(2004)and numerousessays on the art of Rembrandt and his circle. Ronda Kasl,General EditorJane Graham,Editor Designed by Studio Blue,www.studioblue.usPrinted by Friesens Corporation,Canada Published by the Indianapolis Museum of Art4000 Michigan Road Indianapolis,Indiana 46208-3326www.ima-art.org ⑥2006 Indianapolis Museum of ArtAll rights reserved. LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATADickey,Stephanie. Rembrandtface to face|Stephanie S.Dickey.p.cm. Includes bibliographical references.ISBN O-936260-83-1(pbk.) 1.Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn,1606-1669. Self-portrait(Indianapolis Museum of Art)2.Painting—Indiana—Indianapolis.3.Indianapolis Museum of Art. # I.Title. ND653.R4A782006 759.9492—dc22 2006017414 Distributed by the University of Washington PressP.O.Box50096 Seattle,Washington 98145-5096www.washington.edu/uwpress 二 Contents Foreword /MAXWELL L.ANDERSON|7 Rembrandt Face to Face |STEPHANIE S.DICKEY11 Historical Record/67 Works Cited |71 # Foreword The phrase "Rembrandt self-portrait"instantly conjures up an image known from doz-ens of examples—that of a world-weary,ruddy-cheeked man,donning a floppy hat andgazing at us benignly while alert to the source of his next guilder.By stark contrast,theClowes Rembrandt portrays a soft-whiskered youth with a surprised expression,openmouth,and dashing military garb.The spontaneity of this image sets it apart from muchelse in Rembrandt's oeuvre—and helps explain why it became the subject of contentionnearly twenty years ago,when stripped of its identity as an original by the master. Its newfound re-attribution as a youthful work by Rembrandt from about 1629 is theend of one story and the beginning of another.The painstaking connoisseurship of theRembrandt Research Project(RRP)over the last generation has led to myriad changes inthe presumed authorship of paintings in museums around the world.The Clowes por-trait's return to favor by the RRP is,to be sure,a function of meticulous scholarship andscientific examination.But it is,no less importantly,a welcome(if belated)affrmation ofthe perspicacity ofits former owners Dr.George H.A.Clowes and Edith W.Clowes,and ofthose to whom they turned for collecting advice. Not only is this picture now freshly acknowledged to be by the hand of Rembrandt,but itis also believed to be the artist's first effort to capture the features of the human facein a life-sized work.Furthermore,scholars now recognize that the Clowes Rembrandt wasthe subject of at least five known copies by pupils of the master,which led to some of thehealthy debate about whose hand gave rise to it.It is further suggested by the RRP thatthe extreme naturalism of the depiction—blemishes and all—argues for its having been captured through the artist's close observation of his face as if caught in mid-stride beforea mirror. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is privileged to have the Clowes Rembrandt in itscare,and for that we are deeply grateful to the Clowes Fund for its continuing generosity.The long tradition of patronage from which the IMA has so often benefited is nowherebetter manifested than by the heirs of Dr.and Mrs.Clowes,who to this day provide sup-port and encouragement to the Museum in nurturing the inspiring vision of the Clowes

FAQs

How does the foreword distinguish the Clowes Rembrandt from typical Rembrandt self-portrait imagery?

It contrasts the familiar depiction of a world-weary, ruddy-cheeked man with a floppy hat against the Clowes Rembrandt’s soft-whiskered youth, surprised expression, open mouth, and military dress.

What changed the Clowes Rembrandt’s attribution according to the text?

The foreword credits the Rembrandt Research Project’s connoisseurship and scientific examination with a renewed re-attribution to a youthful work by Rembrandt from about 1629.

Why is provenance history presented as important in the discussion?

The foreword highlights the painting’s ownership by noble Polish families through generations and discusses how clarification of its ownership history helps address concerns tied to the Second World War.

Oct 13, 2026

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