Self-Portrait with the Colosseum

The Self-Portrait with the Colosseum is an oil painting made in the year 1553 by a Dutch artist named Maarten van Heemskerck. This work was created during a time called the Dutch Golden Age, a period when Dutch artists produced many beautiful paintings.

In the painting, Maarten van Heemskerck shows himself standing in front of the famous Colosseum in Rome. Though the Colosseum is in Italy and he was from the Netherlands, he painted it to show his visit and his admiration for ancient Roman buildings.

Today, this artwork is carefully kept in the Fitzwilliam Museum in the city of Cambridge. It helps us learn about how artists saw the world around them many years ago and serves as a memory of Maarten van Heemskerck's travels and artistic skills.

History and description

This painting shows the artist as a traveler with the Colosseum in the background. It is signed and dated 1553. The artist appears twice: once looking at the viewer and again sketching the Colosseum. Heemskerck painted it when he arrived in Italy, and it later became part of the collection of Anton Perrenot de Granvella.

The image of the Colosseum was also used by Pieter Jansz. Saenredam for his painting in 1631. Many of Heemskerck’s sketches were used by others, as described by Karel van Mander in his book Schilder-boeck. Some of these sketches were later published by Philips Galle in 1569.