Posted on 09/04/2024 4:33:48 PM PDT by nickcarraway
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.
Any of the double murderer who died back in April?
Good idea. I’ll suggest it.
When I read something like this, I want to send a note to my children and tell them “you never know what you will find in our attic! Why don’t you clean it out to see what’s there?”
There may be some old video games or toys that are now considered collector’s items. Is a Commodore 64 worth money? I haven’t been up there in years. There may be enough stuff that is worth the money it would take to pay for a dumpster. But I assure you there is not a Rembrandt painting.
I guess we should maybe rent a dumpster ourselves and get rid of it before the kids get the place.
Nah! Let them deal with it.
Pretty cool!
I immediately went up into the attic and pushed the sacks of doubloons aside to see if there was a Rembrandt behind there. Nothin’.
I knew a retired physician that had an original Rembrandt sketch. It was charcoal on paper and about 5” X 7”. I don’t remember the subject or what it looked like because my attention was drawn to his house full of Chinese carved ivory pieces. One of them was a piece given to the first Christian missionaries in China. I don’t remember all the details of the many historical pieces, but the entire collection was absolutely stunning.
A local progressive enemy may have half a dozen ‘possible’ Rembrandts.
Would that qualify as unrealized gains? Asking for a friend.
/s
Fashion at the time.
It’s more plausible than the alleged da Vinci that the crown prince of Saudi Arabia paid $400+ million at auction.
Haha, no OJ
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