Posted on 10/06/2023 4:45:40 PM PDT by nickcarraway
Sometimes, additional provenance information about a painting can significantly increase its perceived value. In the case of a small nocturne showing a Biblical scene, a shift in attribution from the Circle of Rembrandt to the actual Dutch master himself has increased its auction estimate by several hundred-fold.
When The Adoration of the Kings was last auctioned by Christie’s in Amsterdam in 2021, it had an estimate of €10,000 to €15,000. Sotheby’s is now listing the oil on oak panel with an estimate of £10 million to £15 million ($12.2 million to $18.4 million) as part of its OId Masters and 19th-century paintings evening sale in London on December 6. The work will also have a third-party guarantee, according to the Art Newspaper, which first reported the news.
Related Articles A smiling woman in a pink crosshatched shirt wearing a suit jacket. Isa Genzken Sculpture Withdrawn from Sotheby's Sale After Scrutiny Over Its Seller Christie's to Offer Monet Water Lily Painting with $65 M. Estimate in November The work ended up at Christie’s in Amsterdam after being consigned by a private family collection in Germany. According to its provenance history, it was first acquired by the Dutch collector Johannes Carel Hendrik Heldring in 1955. Even though it was attributed to Circle of Rembrandt during that online sale in October 2021, the painting caught enough attention to garner bids shooting well past its estimate to close at €860,000, including fees.
According to the Art Newspaper, Sotheby’s specialist George Gordon was approached by the winning bidder from the Amsterdam sale to reattribute the work to Rembrandt, a research project which spanned 18 months and included infrared imaging technology.
One of the most prominent scholars who supported Gordon’s reattribution efforts was Volker Manuth, who co-wrote a 2019 catalogue raisonné of the Dutch master’s paintings.
Gordon told the Art Newspaper the estimate was based on recent sales made by the Sotheby’s for works by Rembrandt, including a self-portrait that was sold in July 2020 for £14.5 million (with fees) against an estimate of £12 million to £16 million. In 2018, an oil sketch for a head of Christ sold for £9.5 million with fees on an estimate of £8 million to £10 million. It was purchased by the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Sales information from other auction houses that informed the estimate include the panel painting Abraham and Angels (ca. 1646) at Sotheby’s in New York offered it in 2021. The work was withdrawn from public auction, but was sold privately shortly afterward “within its original estimate of $20 million–$30 million”.
Christie’s also holds the world auction record for Rembrandt, with Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo (1658) selling for €23.2 million with fees in 2009. That price wasn’t far from the $25.8 million achieved by another biblical scene by Rembrandt, Saint James the Greater (1661), when it was auctioned in 2007.
One day my friend was visiting and he moved a stack of paper to make room and he noticed several sketches. His dad said 'oh, those are my Rembrandt sketches' like it was nothing.
My pal was a bit of a BS artist but I knew his dad so it was believable, he was an interesting cat. Anyway, when the dad died, his estate was auctioned off by Cristies so I guess it was true, there was some high end stuff in that old house.
I wonder where it was before 1955. How did it avoid the Nazis stealing it in WW II? How did Johannes Carel Hendrik Heldring come to it in 1955?
looks more like a value study thaN A full blown painting to me?-
The painting appears ill-conceived. By placing the magi’ arrival at night, for no good reason, the result to my eye is a dark, dreary, dismal and disheartening mess. Whether or not Rembrandt himself painted it, he produced his share of dark works, And the purpose of this one seems elusive.
Yeah, it does seem off- usually his dark broody/moody paintings had some color- this one seems really washed out like more of a value study with neutral grey colors- Maybe it was intentional t try to depict colder moon light, i dunno
Perhaps a patron specified the darkness. Seems a crime, darkening such a joyous occasion.
Very true. A heavenly glow such as in carravaggio’s many paintings would seem appropriate around the Christ child to signify that he is the light of the world and a lamp unto our feet.
Why would anyone pay such high amounts for a painting when you can buy a copy for a fraction?.
Tax scheme and money laundering.
Jeffrey Epstein Helped Collector Leon Black Avoid Taxes On $30 M. Art Deals: Report
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4187582/posts
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
