The painting on oak panel depicting a young woman in a black dress with a large white collar and white cap was discovered in a Maine attic by art appraiser and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux. It is believed to have been shown as a Rembrandt at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1970 – according to a label on the back.The Associated Press
A 17th-century Dutch painting of a young woman has fetched US$1.4-million at a Maine auction, a shockingly high price considering it was only estimated to sell for US$10,000 to US$15,000 – but a shockingly low price if you believe the painter was Rembrandt van Rijn.
The painting on oak panel depicting a young woman in a black dress with a large white collar and white cap was discovered in a Maine attic by art appraiser and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux. It is believed to have been shown as a Rembrandt at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1970 – according to a label on the back.
However, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Thomaston, Me., only offered the painting as “after Rembrandt” and gave it a low pre-sale estimate. The European buyer who was willing to pay more than a million dollars for the painting is gambling it can be authenticated as Rembrandt’s work or at least traced to his studio.
Recent auction sales have seen authenticated Rembrandt portraits sell for many times that amount. Last year Christie’s sold a pair of portraits of a Dutch plumber and his wife for US$14-million. In 2017, the auction house achieved about US$4.3-million for a fine portrait of Petronella Buys with its provenance – or history of ownership – traced back centuries. Even Man with a Sword, a painting attributed to Rembrandt and his studio, fetched almost US$3-million in 2013.
“We often go in blind,” auctioneer Veilleux said in a Thomaston news release, describing how the painting was found. “The home was filled with wonderful pieces, but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait.”
The auctioneer has not identified the consignor.