A renowned Rembrandt self-portrait will embark on a year-long tour across England, offering visitors a unique opportunity to engage in slow, meditative art viewing designed to promote mental wellbeing. The National Trust is moving the masterpiece "Self-Portrait Wearing a White Feathered Bonnet" from its permanent home at Buckland Abbey in Devon to three locations throughout the country.

The initiative, called "Meet Rembrandt: A Slow Looking Experience," aims to counter the common gallery habit of quickly moving from artwork to artwork. Research shows that the average museum visitor spends only eight seconds looking at each piece of art. Instead, this program encourages people to take their time with a single masterpiece, providing comfortable seating and specially designed audio guides that include guided meditation options.

Dr. Amy Orrock, a National Trust curator, explained the careful selection process behind choosing a portrait rather than a landscape for the project. "The slow looking approach often is applied to landscapes, but we felt it would work really well with this painting because it's so wonderful, sumptuous and rich," she said. "It's quite dark when you first look at it, but the more time you spend with it, you notice details gleaming out of the dark."

The Rembrandt portrait offers rich details that reward extended viewing. The artist depicted himself wearing a gorgeous velvet cape with jeweled trim, a Spanish real coin around his neck, and a metal gorget covering his throat that glints in the light. "I think spending time dwelling on those details is really rewarding and there's also this amazing unknowable quality about his face," Orrock noted. "He's almost holding something back. I think it's a fun one for people to engage with because they're meeting Rembrandt so there's a sense of direct interaction."

The tour addresses the modern tendency for visitors to feel pressure to see everything in a gallery visit. "People want to feel like they've seen everything," Orrock observed. "What we're doing is trying to provide lots of different ways into the picture." The experience is designed to give people permission to stop and truly look, allowing them to relax with the artwork for as long as they wish.

While the mental health benefits of spending time in nature are well-documented, the National Trust expects that contemplating the Rembrandt will offer similar restorative effects. "We're hoping it will provide that sort of escape from reality and that moment to have a bit of time out," said Orrock. The approach treats art viewing as a form of mindfulness practice that can provide relief from daily stress.

The audio guide system offers multiple ways to engage with the painting. Visitors can explore the artwork's history through commentary from conservators and art historians, or even listen to imagined reflections from Rembrandt himself. However, one channel is specifically devoted to guided meditation, featuring a gong and soothing voice that encourages viewers to focus on their physical state while observing the painting.

The meditation guide prompts visitors to put both feet on the floor, take deep breaths, and let their eyes travel naturally over the painting. "There's not a right or wrong thing to see – it's just about allowing yourself that time with the picture and seeing what comes out for you," Orrock explained. This approach emphasizes personal discovery rather than prescribed interpretation.

The tour begins at Kingston Lacy in Dorset on Friday, taking advantage of the autumn sunshine that illuminates the historic property. The painting will then travel to Dunham Massey in Cheshire in March 2026, before concluding its journey at Upton House in Warwickshire in July of next year. Each location will provide the same comfortable viewing environment and meditation-focused experience, allowing visitors throughout England to participate in this innovative approach to art appreciation.