Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Self-Portrait

1776
Not on view
Born in Bohemia, today the Czech Republic, Mengs became an international celebrity, painting in Dresden, Rome, and Madrid, where he joined an international group of artists gathered around King Charles III. Like several of these painters, notably the Italian Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, he was heavily involved in the decoration of palace construction projects. But Mengs also excelled at portraits of members of the court and royal family. He painted this self-portrait in Madrid in 1776, by which time his health had begun to fail; here he unflinchingly includes a discolored swelling on his forehead, a symptom of his illness.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Self-Portrait
  • Artist: Anton Raphael Mengs (German, Ústi nad Labem (Aussig) 1728–1779 Rome)
  • Date: 1776
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Dimensions: 35 1/2 x 25 7/8 in. (90 x 65.5 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.445
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768), Anton Raphael Mengs German, Oil on canvas
Johann Joachim Winckelmann (1717–1768)
Anton Raphael Mengs
ca. 1777
Clarinet in D, Boxwood, brass, German
Clarinet in D
German
1750–70
The Dream of the Shepherd (Der Traum des Hirten), Ferdinand Hodler Swiss, Oil on canvas
The Dream of the Shepherd (Der Traum des Hirten)
Ferdinand Hodler
1896
Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Anton Raphael Mengs German, Red chalk, graphite; squared in graphite
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Anton Raphael Mengs
mid-18th–late 18th century
Jug, Stoneware, German
Jug
German
1680–1700

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.