Old World Portraits
Self-Portrait in the Studio
Arnold Böcklin
A dignified and atmospheric late 19th-century self-portrait of Swiss artist Arnold Böcklin in his studio.
Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle
Arnold Böcklin
1872 · Oil Paint, Canvas
An iconic symbolist self-portrait featuring the artist paused at his easel by a skeletal personification of death.
$129
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Where it works
A weightier piece with steady character with a clear neutral contrast — holds a formal wall with confidence.
- Often works in
- Library · Study · Living Room
- Placement
- Reads best as a confident vertical anchor
- Walls
- Reads strongest on light or mid-tone walls
- Color notes
- Charcoal black, Deep burgundy, Olive green
About the piece
Painted in 1872 by Arnold Böcklin, this haunting self-portrait captures the artist in a moment of suspended creativity as Death leans over his shoulder to play a single-stringed fiddle. A seminal work of German Symbolism, it masterfully employs chiaroscuro to explore the tension between artistic legacy and the transience of life.
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