Albrecht Dürer became the first master of the European North to paint self-portraits. Prior to this, in the medieval minds of people, the personality of the artist was not considered so significant and worthy of the image.

The new era of the Renaissance also brought an understanding of the importance of the creator. The master depicted himself in a light three-quarter turn towards the viewer, this compositional scheme was found by him in an early pencil self-portrait, created in his youth, at the age of 13. There is an assumption that this portrait was created by Dürer as a gift for his bride. The thistle flower in the hand can be interpreted as a symbol of fidelity.

There is another opinion, according to which the inscription in the upper part of the canvas – “My affairs are determined from above”, should be considered as the motto of the artist, who believes that his life is predetermined by God’s providence. In this case, “Self-portrait” is an “illustration” of his creed, reinforced by the second meaning of the thistle flower – a symbol of the suffering of Christ.