Self-portrait leaning on a stone sill 1790

Francesco Novelli’s "Self-portrait leaning on a stone sill," is an etching measuring 215 by 169 millimeters. The composition is dominated by the artist's figure, closely framed, resting on a textured stone sill. Novelli employs a dense network of fine lines to build form and suggest light, evoking a contemplative mood. The textured hat and cascading curls are rendered with an energetic scribble. The lines both define and dissolve the form, playing with presence and absence. Novelli seems to engage with the well known work of Rembrandt, not merely in subject, but more deeply in a philosophical consideration of the self. He uses line and tone to question fixed notions of identity. The self-portrait is less about likeness and more about the artist’s perception of the self. The etching technique, with its capacity for nuanced tonal gradations, mirrors the complexities of self-representation. The image remains a visual statement about the transient nature of identity, inviting ongoing reflection.