Rhinophyma and rosacea_depression

Rembrandt Harmenz. van Rijn
July 15, 1606, Leiden – October 4, 1669, Amsterdam, Netherlands

♦ Self-Portrait 1659 ♦

Rembrandt, aged 51 here, clasped his hands and turned his head. At first glance, it seems as though he is actually there.

♦ Diagnosis
Main symptoms: Drooping of the eyebrows and eyelids, more pronounced on the left than on the right. Arcus senilis (a whitish-gray ring in the cornea) and xanthelasma, telangiectasia (dilated blood vessels) with a red nose and lesions on the chin, nose, and cheeks.
Secondary symptoms: Male, 51 years old, prominent forehead, painter, mental depression.
Clinical diagnosis: Rhinophyma rosacea, premature skin aging, reactive depression.

♦ Definition: rhinophyma rosacea
Chronic hyperemia of the skin on the nose, forehead, and cheeks, characterized by hypertrophy, erythema, flushing, and telangiectasia

♦ Definition: arcus senilis
An opaque ring at the edge of the cornea, often seen in older people and patients with hypercholesterolemia

♦ Discussion
The following assessment was conducted by Espinel 1) in 1997.
Any insight into Rembrandt’s emotional state contributes to his medical evaluation. In 1659, he had lost his wife and three of his five children. His wealth had vanished, as had his art collection and his large house. He was embroiled in several lawsuits. Three years earlier, he had been declared insolvent. He had withdrawn from society and rarely painted anymore. He may have been experiencing periods of clinical depression. As late as 1659, his *Moses and the Stone Tablets* had been rejected by the patron.
He was unable to secure new commissions. Living in extreme poverty, he moved to the Jordaankwartier in Amsterdam, where the plague occasionally raged. There he rented a small house on the banks of the neglected Rozengracht. He may have painted this self-portrait there.

1) Espinel C.H., A medical evaluation of Rembrandt. His self portrait: ageing disease and the language of the skin. Lancet 1997; 350: 1835-8

Source: Jan Dequeker

Jan Dequeker
The artist and the doctor are looking at paintings.

Photo
wikipedia.org