Self-Portrait

Leyster presents herself at work, though the elaborate collar would have been impractical while painting. It demonstrates her ability to render lace alongside velvet and sheer fabric. The portrait addresses prospective collectors as evidence of professional skill. Later, some of her works were sold under male contemporaries' names.

Leyster turns her face toward the viewer. The direct address makes meeting the artist part of her professional presentation.

A loaded brush points toward the canvas. Its position indicates work in progress to which the painter can return.

Many brushes gather beside the palette. The tools appear as the equipment of an independent professional.

A painted violinist appears on the easel. The picture within the portrait demonstrates another subject in Leyster's repertoire.

A wide white collar frames her shoulders. Its impracticality for work reveals the deliberate staging of this public image.

By 1633 Leyster had joined Haarlem's guild, and in 1635 she had three pupils. She continued painting after marrying Jan Miense Molenaer. The self-portrait belongs near the beginning of that independent professional career.