Self-Portrait, n.d.

Formal portrait painting by Zacharie Vincent of a man wearing a silver headdress with three feathers, a Queen Victoria medal, silver armbands, a wampum belt across his chest, a brooch, and an arrow sash. He is holding a pipe and a tomahawk.

Zacharie Vincent, Self-Portrait, n.d., oil on paper, 62.5 x 53 cm, Musée de la civilisation, Quebec City.

In this striking self-portrait, Vincent presents himself in a regal pose. The silver headdress, Queen Victoria medal, silver armbands, wampum belt across his chest, brooch, arrow sash, and pipe tomahawk reflect the Hurons’ long history of adaptation and acculturation, cultural and commercial exchange, and treaties with the European colonists. Vincent employs traditional ceremonial objects, borrows status objects from the colonial power, and adapts both to create a powerful image of himself.

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Self-Portrait - Art Canada