# Self-portrait with Pencil

- By: Dick Ket (Den Helder, 1902–1940)
- Date: 1932-11
- Medium: cardboard, chalk
- Classification: drawing
- Dimensions: height 158 mm x width 220 mm
- Credit line: Gift of N. Hagelen-Schilt, Velp
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/RP-T-1994-159--e95c53e2275882feb87f434b60e7307e)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/kMpRr/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Teens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Ket suffered from a congenital heart defect and from 1930 he was obliged to find subjects close to home. In part because of this, in his relatively short lifespan he made an impressive group of about forty selfportraits. Ket paid equal attention to every detail and was famous for his slow way of working. He found it difficult to portray other people because few of them could cope with posing for him for a long time.