The Self Portrait of a Courtier

Historians regard the painting as a social document which could be mined for details. The self portrait in this picture, which of course, is very reticent, is almost, i think, paternal figure to all these young people around him. But at this point in his life, he's in his late fifties when he painted this picture. He does not just show himself creating the whole of this scene - there's a wonderful fact that the palete he's holding shows dots of paint on its edges That represent all the different colours that are used in creating the scene you are looking at.