The Bagpipe Player

The Bagpipe Player was painted 'after life' and is dated to the period of 1638–1640^[1] or 1640–1645^[3] depending on the sources. It is executed in oil on canvas and measures 90 x 110 cm.^[1]

Jacob Jordaens sat himself as the model for the painting. Even so, the painting is not regarded as a self-portrait. The precise meaning of the painting has remained unclear. The artist used his own image in a number of other paintings, including the version of As the Old Sing, So the Young Pipe in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Valenciennes, which dates from a slightly later date than the Bagpipe player. There are at least three more works by the master (or his workshop) in which the artist's own image appears.^[1]

As Jordaens was already a successful artist when he painted the work it is not obvious why he depicted himself as a humble player of a bagpipe, an instrument used in popular music. In more formal self-portraits, Jordaens has represented himself with a lute, which in the 17th century was regarded as the noblest musical instrument. Jordaens' depiction of himself as a bagpipe player may be interpreted as a form of self-mockery.^[3]