Smiling Self-portrait, from the Side 1661

Moses ter Borch created this smiling self-portrait in pen and brush with grey ink, sometime in the mid-17th century. Ter Borch was a Dutch Golden Age artist who died very young, only 22 years old. This small drawing invites an intimate gaze. Consider the rarity of a smile in 17th-century portraiture. It suggests informality, a break from the stiff decorum typically associated with self-representation at the time. There is a notable immediacy and warmth to the portrait. The slight turn of the head gives us access to the artist’s partial profile. What does it mean for a young man, living in a society structured around rigid social hierarchies, to present himself with such directness and lack of pretension? Despite the artist’s youth, the portrait captures a sense of self-awareness. It invites us to reflect on the artist's lived experience and to appreciate a tender rendering of a fleeting moment of joy.