Housed in Vienna’s Kunsthiorisches Museum, this half-length self-portrait was painted in the final years of Rubens’ life, presenting him as an aristocratic man, without any identification of his trade, which Rubens chose never to reveal in any of his previous self-portraits. Instead the artist opts for the image of a well-to-do nobleman, standing beside a stone column, a traditional motif of aristocratic portraiture, which he had also used in earlier portraits of members of his family.
Unlike Rembrandt, who in his later years used the self-portrait for detailed introspection, Rubens uses the genre for worldly presentation to the public. As his ungloved left hand rests on the hilt of his sword, he holds in his right (gloved) hand, the other glove, while confidently looking out towards the viewer. One hand is gloved to emphasise the other hand, resting on the jewelled sword that was presented to the artist by Charles I, when knighting Rubens in 1630. Once again, Rubens was most likely inspired by his beloved Titian’s portrait of a man holding a glove, now in the Louvre, which was acquired by Charles I in 1627 and most likely viewed by Rubens in the Royal Collection.
Rubens’ delineation of himself reflects his encroaching old age, as we can glimpse the sagging flesh under the eyes. In his early sixties, Rubens often suffered long bouts of gout, particularly troubling his right hand, which thwarted any attempts at holding a paintbrush. Although there were periods were the gout went into remission, the condition still disrupted the artist’s previous prolific output. On 30 May 1640, he died from heart failure, which was a result of the chronic gout. He was interred in Saint Jacob’s church, Antwerp.