A neglected oil sketch has been newly attributed to Rembrandt
The line separating original artistic masterpieces from skilful imitations is often thin, which is why it takes experts to identify the originals. That’s exactly what happened at the Bredius museum in The Hague, where researchers recently attributed a long-neglected oil sketch to Rembrandt.
The painting had been on display since 1921, but it had been dismissed as an imitation of Rembrandt. It was rediscovered by curator Jeroen Giltaij who explained: “I looked at this work again and again. At the brush strokes. They are brilliant.”
Giltaij noted: “The research shows that the sketch has several changes made by the artist himself while painting, meaning that its composition was a creative process. This means the painter was changing his mind while he was working. He was clearly not copying another painting.”
Titled ‘The Raising of the Cross’, the sketch was restored by Johanneke Verhave, who became convinced of the authenticity of the painting after properly studying the details. According to the report by The Guardian, Verhave used infrared reflectography and X-ray scans to confirm the claims.
Verhave said: “You have to remember, this is an oil sketch. Rembrandt is usually very precise and refined, but this is very rough. The reason is the oil sketch is a preparatory sketch for another painting. He wants to show the composition, a rough idea of what the actual painting could look like.”
