Self-portrait. Artist: Simon Bening (Netherlandish, Ghent () 1483/84-1561 Bruges). Dimensions: 3 3/8 x 2 1/4 in. (8.5 x 5.7 cm). Date: 1558.Written in gold on a red background is an inscription that identifies this miniature as a self-portrait of the famous Bruges illuminator, Simon Bening: "Simon Bennik, the son of Alexander, painted this himself at the age of 75 in 1558."Simon Bening became one of the most famous illuminators of the sixteenth century. He spent his early years in Ghent or Antwerp, probably working under the tutelage of his father, the illuminator Alexander Bening. Simon moved to Bruges permanently in 1517, where over time he headed a large and flourishing workshop. Although Bening was much admired in his day and widely imitated, his artistic personality has yet to be thoroughly studied.This miniature painting has attracted considerable interest in art history as an early self-portrait of an artist. Bening portrays himself, spectacles in hand, seated before a woode