Anthony van Dyck’s Self Portrait is an etching, not a painting — a distinction that places it within the artist’s celebrated Iconography series, a collection of portrait prints of artists and notable contemporaries that he completed in the late 1620s ^[1]. The work, dated probably 1626/1641, is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. ^[3]. As the only self-portrait within the Iconography series, it functions both as a catalogue of the artist’s likeness and as a demonstration of his technical command of the etching medium ^[1][3].

Artist: the Flemish court painter

Van Dyck was a Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England after success in the Spanish Netherlands and Italy ^[1]. Born 22 March 1599 in Antwerp as the seventh child of Frans van Dyck, a wealthy silk merchant, he painted from an early age and became a master in the Guild of Saint Luke of Antwerp on 18 October 1617 ^[1]. By that time he was working in the studio of Peter Paul Rubens, the leading northern painter of the day, who became a major influence on his work ^[1]. Van Dyck worked in London for some months in 1621, then travelled to Italy, where he stayed until 1627, mostly in Genoa ^[1]. In the late 1620s he completed his Iconography series of portrait etchings ^[1]. After five years in Flanders, he returned to London in 1632 as the main court painter at the request of Charles I ^[1]. He died 9 December 1641 ^[1].

Technique: etching in the Iconography series

The Self Portrait is executed in etching, a printmaking technique in which the design is incised into a coated metal plate with acid ^[3]. Van Dyck’s Iconography series, for which he completed the portrait etchings in the late 1620s, comprised portraits mainly of other artists and famous contemporaries ^[1]. The self-portrait’s probable date range of 1626/1641 spans the period from his Italian sojourn through his years as court painter in England, encompassing the years when the Iconography was produced ^[1][3]. The etching medium allowed van Dyck to disseminate his likeness and those of his contemporaries widely, reinforcing his professional network and reputation across Europe ^[1].

Provenance: National Gallery of Art

The work is catalogued at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. ^[3]. The museum’s open data record identifies the artist as Sir Anthony van Dyck and dates the etching to probably 1626/1641 ^[3]. No further provenance chain is documented in the available sources ^[3].

Iconography: the artist’s self-representation

Within the Iconography series, the Self Portrait holds a distinctive position as the artist’s own likeness among portraits of his peers ^[1]. The series itself was a pioneering project in the history of printmaking, establishing a visual canon of notable contemporaries through the medium of etching ^[1]. Van Dyck’s inclusion of himself in this catalogue of famous figures asserts his own status among the leading artists and intellectuals of his day ^[1].

Historical context: Baroque portraiture and court patronage

Van Dyck’s career trajectory — from Antwerp apprentice to Rubens’s studio, to independent master, to court painter for the Archduchess Isabella, Habsburg Governor of Flanders, and finally principal painter to Charles I of England — positioned him at the centre of Baroque court patronage ^[1]. The Iconography series and the Self Portrait within it emerged during the late 1620s, a period when van Dyck had returned to Flanders after his Italian travels and was completing the etchings ^[1]. The print’s probable date range extends into his English period, reflecting the sustained relevance of the series throughout his later career ^[1][3].

Frequently asked questions

Is the Self Portrait an oil painting or a print?

It is an etching, not a painting. The National Gallery of Art catalogues the work as a print by Sir Anthony van Dyck ^[3].

When was the Self Portrait created?

The National Gallery of Art dates the etching to probably 1626/1641 ^[3]. This range spans the period when van Dyck completed his Iconography series in the late 1620s through his years as court painter in England ^[1].

Where is the Self Portrait located today?

The work is in the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. ^[3].