Possible Rembrandt painting found in attic sells for $1.4 million
Typically, items stowed away in your attic are either Christmas decorations or maybe some old suitcases. Well, an unsuspecting attic in Camden, Maine, was recently found to contain a painting potentially created by the beloved Netherlands artist Rembrandt. Despite being shrouded in mystery and uncertainty, many art collectors viewed the painting as an authentic work when it went under the hammer on August 24th.
The last known Rembrandt portraits in private collections were sold off by Christie’s Auction House last year, therefore, this newly uncovered piece in Maine provided a rare opportunity for collectors to get their hands on one of the artist’s works. Depicting a portrait of a young girl on a dark background, the work was discovered when Kaja Veilleux from Thomaston Place Auction Galleries made a routine house call to appraise some pieces.
“We often go in blind,” the appraiser and founder of Thomaston Place said in a press release, “The home was filled with wonderful pieces, but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait.”
Of course, there is no concrete evidence that the painting is a genuine Rembrandt, but its style and, in particular, its use of light is incredibly evocative of the Dutch artist. Furthermore, this is not the first time a Rembrandt has been uncovered in an unlikely setting.
In addition, the back of the beautiful hand-carved Dutch frame, features a slip from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, which shows the painting was loaned to the gallery back in 1970 by a Mr. Cary W. Bok. The slip identifies the painting as a Rembrandt, and titles the work Portrait of Girl. However, the Philadelphia Museum of Art has noted that such a slip does not necessarily mean the work is authentic.
As a result of this uncertainty, the painting was auctioned off as work completed “after Rembrant”, with an estimate of $10,000–$15,000. Nevertheless, the sale of the painting dwarfed those estimates, with the bidding commencing at $32,500 and eventually selling to an anonymous collector in the United Kingdom for $1.4million.
It is theorised that the portrait was originally created in the 1630s. During that period, Rembrandt was working as the head of Hendrick Uylenburgh’s studio, focusing largely on portrait commissions. This theory, if true, seems to support the idea that the painting is a genuine piece.
While the final price makes Portrait of Girl one of the most expensive artworks ever auctioned off in Maine, the uncertainty surrounding its authenticity means that, for a Rembrandt, it was fairly cheap. The most expensive work by Rembrandt, Portrait of Marten Looten, sold at auction back in 2015 for a staggering $33.8 million.
