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Download Image
Non-commercial use
All our images can be downloaded in high resolution from our website for non-commercial use (research/study, educational purposes, personal blogs and social media).
Would you like to use our images in a publication? Please mention our credit line: "Mauritshuis, The Hague."
Commercial use
Would you like to use our images for commercial purposes? We would be happy to discuss this with you. Please contact our marketing department at images@mauritshuis.nl.
Download Image
Non-commercial use
All our images can be downloaded in high resolution from our website for non-commercial use (research/study, educational purposes, personal blogs and social media).
Would you like to use our images in a publication? Please mention our credit line: "Mauritshuis, The Hague."
Commercial use
Would you like to use our images for commercial purposes? We would be happy to discuss this with you. Please contact our marketing department at images@mauritshuis.nl.
Download Image
Non-commercial use
All our images can be downloaded in high resolution from our website for non-commercial use (research/study, educational purposes, personal blogs and social media).
Would you like to use our images in a publication? Please mention our credit line: "Mauritshuis, The Hague."
Commercial use
Would you like to use our images for commercial purposes? We would be happy to discuss this with you. Please contact our marketing department at images@mauritshuis.nl.
Paulus Moreelse
Self-Portrait
We know of four self-portraits by the Utrecht painter Moreelse. He painted this example in his early sixties. He wears a dark tabard and an exuberant pleated collar, both of which were already unfashionable by the 1630s.
Moreelse holds up a blank sheet of paper, symbolising the artist’s ability to conjure an artwork out of nothing. The sheet of paper also reveals something of the importance that Moreelse attached to drawing skills, which he believed to be an essential basis for a painter’s training.
Facelifts & Make-overs - stories from our conservation studio
This self-portrait by the Utrecht painter Paulus Moreelse underwent conservation treatment especially for an exhibition about self-portraits. As is customary, the conservator began by removing the varnish layers that had yellowed dramatically. That resulted here in a true facelift, because Moreelse’s face came completely back to life. His collar also turned out to contain more detail than originally thought. Later additions from previous restorations were then also removed, notably in the black clothing and background. These were areas where a lot of original paint had been lost. Retouching these missing areas was a big undertaking. In the black sections especially, this was made all the more difficult by the subtle nuances of colour. A costume specialist provided important tips for better understanding these colour variations in the black areas. Since its treatment, this self-portrait has been on permanent display in the museum, in a new frame, which makes the black outfit stand out all the more.
