Rembrandt van Rijn is the peak of Dutch Golden Age art. From his incredible drawings to his evocative portraits, the Old Master captures light and shadow like no other. His works hang in all the major museums, but they also turn up around the world in private collections and mysterious hidden spots. When these resurrected treasures do reach auction they sell for incredible prices. For instance, a recent Rembrandt portrait discovered in a Maine attic sold at auction for an impressive $1.4 million.
The small, dark painting, titled Portrait of a Girl, is in exceptional condition. Painted on a wood panel and framed in gold, it depicts a bonneted young woman with the large frill customary of the time. Thomaston Place Auction Galleries discovered the work in an attic of a Camden, Maine estate. “We often go in blind on house calls, not knowing what we’ll find,” shared gallery founder Kaja Veilleux. Towards the end of combing through the estate's collections, the ultimate find was revealed in the attic among piles of antiques and art.
The painting is still a bit mysterious. The label on the back of the frame lists Rembrandt as its author and indicates that Mr. Cary Bok from Camden, Maine, loaned it to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1970. Unfortunately, the museum hasn't been able to confirm that the painting was on display due to the time that's passed, and it's still unclear how it ended up in the attic.
“That’s part of the mystery,” Mr. Veilleux told The New York Times. “It’s a good thing we found it. Anyone else wouldn’t have known what to do with it.”
This remarkable find set the stage for one of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries' most exciting auctions. Zebulon Casperson, who acted as agent for the winning European bidder, won the work for a whopping $1.4 million.
“Out of all the phone bids I’ve handled, I never imagined I’d help close a deal for over a million dollars,” confesses Casperson. “It feels like a shared victory.”
While the work is still awaiting authentication, the excitement indicates a wonderful deal for what is likely a priceless work. In fact, according to Rembrandt authenticator Mark Winter, the value will likely skyrocket if and when the painting is confirmed as a true Rembrandt.
“The person who bought the painting for $1.4 million already got a great bargain,” he shared. “The value of this painting is probably in the area of $15 million.”
In an attic in Camden, Maine a gallery and auction house discovered what appears to be a lost work by Rembrandt.
h/t: [Smithsonian Magazine]
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