The painting, Portrait of a Girl, sold for $1.4 million.
Photo: Courtesy of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries.
Auction of the Week: Rare Portrait after Rembrandt Found in Maine Attic Sells for $1.4 Million
A routine estate visit turned into a record-breaking outing after an art appraiser discovered a 17th-century painting
Uncovering a rare and valuable treasure amongst the dusty items of estate sales is the stuff of dreams for art and design lovers—but only rarely does it happen. Last month, however, a routine visit to an estate in Maine turned into a record-breaking $1.4 million outing after an art appraiser discovered a 17th-century painting “after Rembrandt” in the home’s attic.
The painting, Portrait of a Girl (1632) depicts a young girl in traditional Dutch attire, and was found with a label on the back indicating that it was last loaned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1970. The work—painted on an oak panel and encased in a hand-carved Dutch frame—was among various antiques and heirlooms in the Camden home, but how it got there remains a mystery.
“We often go in blind on house calls, not knowing what we’ll find,” Kaja Veilleux, founder of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, said in a statement. “The home was filled with wonderful pieces, but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait.”
Ultimately, an anonymous European bidder secured the piece for $1.4 million, more than 100 times its low estimate of $10,000. Photo: Courtesy of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries
Once the painting went on auction in late August, it generated worldwide headlines and a bidding frenzy ensued on the night of the sale. There were nine phone bidders from around the globe, and as the price started to rise, three determined bidders drove the final sale into the millions. Ultimately, an anonymous European bidder secured the piece for $1.4 million, more than 100 times its low estimate of $10,000. “Out of all the phone bids I’ve handled, I never imagined I’d help close a deal for over a million dollars,” said staff member Zebulon Casperson, who represented the client. “It feels like a shared victory.”
The mysterious piece, with its dramatic use of light that evokes the style of Rembrandt, is unsigned and the picture is cataloged by the auction house as being made “after” Rembrandt and dated to the early 1630s, a period when the artist oversaw portrait commissions at Hendrick Uylenburgh’s studio in Amsterdam. The label on verso, however, states that the painting was once loaned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art by Mr. Cary Bok of Camden and was at that time attributed to Rembrandt himself. These details did not dampen the excitement on the night.
Rembrandt is widely considered to be one of the greatest painters in art history, and his works tend to fetch some of the highest prices at auction—mostly in the millions. In May 2015, his painting Portrait of Marten Looten sold for $33.8 million at Sotheby’s, marking the most expensive Rembrandt ever sold at auction.
Cover: The painting, Portrait of a Girl, sold for $1.4 million.
Photo: Courtesy of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries.
