REMBRANDT was probably the king of the 'selfie' having painted more images of himself than any other artist certainly of the 17th century, if not ever since.

It was originally thought that about 90 paintings were counted as Rembrandt self-portraits, but apparently he had his students copy his own self-portraits as part of their training. However, art experts still believe that he created more than 40 paintings, as well as a few drawings and more than 30 etchings, which is still pretty good going.

Rembrandt’s Self Portrait at the Age of 63 will grace the walls of Kendal's Abbot Hall Art Gallery until May 15 as part of the National Gallery Masterpiece Tour. It was painted in the final year of Rembrandt's life and is one of his last pictures before he died on October 4, 1669. A revealing and thought provoking self-portrait, the Dutch artist fixes the viewer with a steady gaze.

Abbot Hall Art Gallery is one of only three UK host venues for this much-loved work from the National Gallery Collection. Yet another feather in the gallery's cap, adding to Abbot Hall’s increasing reputation for bringing major art works to the region.

Helen Watson, director of exhibitions and collection, of Lakeland Arts - which owns Abbot Hall, Blackwell and the Museum of Lakeland Life and Industry - says they're thrilled to have been selected to take part in the masterpiece tour for 2016: "We're excited about bringing one of the greatest works of art in the UK to Kendal. Visitors will have a unique opportunity to spend time with this magnificent painting, study it in detail and learn about Rembrandt and his self-portraits."

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was born in Leiden in the Netherlands in 1606. His father was a miller and at the age of 14, the young Harmenszoon van Rijn started studying at the famous University of Leiden. However, the academic life didn't suit him and soon he left to begin an apprenticeship as a painter.

In 1624, after three years with a local artist, Rembrandt went to Amsterdam to study briefly with Pieter Lastman. He then moved back to Leiden and set up as an independent painter, sharing a workshop with Jan Lievens.

Rembrandt quickly made a name for himself as a painter of historical subjects and moved back to Amsterdam, which at the time was the most prosperous port in northern Europe.

He lodged with art dealer Hendrick van Uylenburgh, and was introduced to his landlord's young cousin Saskia, who he ended up marrying in 1634.

Five years later, Mr and Mrs Rembrandt moved into a grander house, next to his old friend van Uylenburgh. He sketched endlessly: people on the street, beggars, circuses, women and children - and Saskia. And his painting was influenced by new developments in Italian art which reached the Netherlands via prints, as well as courtesy of his globe-trotting contemporaries.

Many began experimenting with the dramatic use of lighting developed by Caravaggio and from the 1630s, he developed a new way of describing faces with patterns of light and shadow, rather than simply lighting one side and shading the other. Shadows around the eyes of his portraits, making it hard to read a precise expression give his canvases the extraordinary impression of the living, thinking mind behind the face.

Showing in an adjacent gallery to Rembrandt’s self portrait at Abbot Hall is a remarkable sequence of portraits, including The Great Picture, from the Kendal gallery's own collection depicting the ageing face of celebrated local legend Lady Anne Clifford; born in 1590 her remarkable life overlapped with that of Rembrandt. Four paintings show Lady Anne at various stages of her life, from the opulent lady in her mid-20s in Jacobean dress through to the sombrely-attired 80-year-old woman whose careworn face echoes that of Rembrandt in his late masterpiece.

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