Two portraits by the Dutch master Rembrandt that have been hidden from the public eye for nearly 200 years have resurfaced in a private collection in the UK. The paintings, which depict an elderly couple related to the artist by marriage, are expected to fetch up to $10 million at Christie’s auction house in London on July 6.
The portraits, signed and dated 1635, are of Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and Jaapgen Carels, who were from a prominent family in Leiden. Their son Dominicus married the daughter of Rembrandt’s uncle, and their grandson Karel was a pupil and friend of the artist. The couple also owned a garden next to Rembrandt’s mother’s house in Leiden.
The paintings are “exceptionally rare” and have a “remarkable, virtually unbroken line of provenance,” according to Christie’s. They remained in the family until 1760, then passed through various owners in Warsaw, Paris and London. In 1824, they were sold by Christie’s to the ancestors of the current owners, who have not been named.
The discovery was made by Henry Pettifer, Christie’s international deputy chair of Old Master paintings, during a routine valuation. He told CNN that he was “incredibly excited” to see the paintings, but did not jump to any conclusions. He said the owners were also surprised and did not have expectations for the paintings.
The authenticity of the portraits was confirmed by experts at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, who conducted technical and historical research. The paintings are among the few surviving works by Rembrandt from his Leiden period, when he was experimenting with light and shadow.
Rembrandt is widely regarded as one of the greatest painters of all time, known for his portraits, landscapes and biblical scenes. His works are highly sought after by collectors and museums, and often sell for millions at auction. In 2009, his Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo sold for $33.2 million, setting a record for the artist.
Reference：
- Two rare, unknown Rembrandt portraits worth millions discovered in private collection | CNN | May, 15, 2023
- Two ‘exceptionally rare,’ previously unknown Rembrandt paintings discovered | The Hill | May, 16, 2023
- Christie’s to Sell Two Rembrandt Portraits Unseen for Nearly 200 Years | ARTnews | May, 15, 2023