Rembrandt "Self-Portrait" 100 Piece Puzzle

Rembrandt van Rijn (Leyden, 1606 - 1669, Amsterdam), Self-Portrait, Aged 23, 1629. Oil on oak panel. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.

This 100 piece puzzle features one of Rembrandt's first self-portraits, picturing him at age 23. This self-portrait is all about costume--the plumed cap, silk scarf, and jacket--which shows the influence of the Queen Esther story on Amsterdam during the seventeenth century.

In the age of Rembrandt van Rijn, the biblical Book of Esther was a popular source of inspiration for diverse communities in the Netherlands, both Jewish and Christian. Traditionally, the Esther story is read annually on the Jewish holiday of Purim. For immigrant Jewish communities living with new freedom in more tolerant Amsterdam, celebrating Purim—notably through finely produced Esther scrolls and theater productions—became a meaningful expression of Jewish culture. For the Dutch, Queen Esther’s heroism came to represent their emerging nation’s identity. Rembrandt and his contemporaries depicted essential scenes of Esther’s story in paintings, prints, drawings, and decorative arts.
 

Exhibition Schedule:
 
Jewish Museum, New York
(March 7–August 10, 2025)
 
North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh
(September 20, 2025–March 8, 2026)
 
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
(July 28, 2026–January 10, 2027)