Dutch painter Rembrandt's 'Portrait of a Girl' discovered in an attic, sold in auction for Rs 11.7 crore
A 'forgotten' painting by 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn has been sold at auction for a whopping $1.4 million (around Rs 11.75 crore). The painting, titled 'Portrait of a Girl', shows the girl in a black dress with a white ruffled collar and a white cap.??
How the painting was found
What makes the 17th-century painting, which was discovered in pristine condition, even more interesting is where it was found.??
According to Kaja Veilleux, the owner, appraiser, and auctioneer of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries in Maine, the painting was discovered in the attic of a wealthy family's farmhouse.??
¡°The home was filled with wonderful pieces, but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait,¡± he said.??
Veilleux said he went to the house without much expectation, but came across the rare piece among a stack of paintings while looking through their private collection.??
Has Rembrandt's style?
Though the portrait was not signed, as Rembrandt did not sign all of his paintings, Veilleux said he could recognise the painter's style ¡°right away¡±.??
In private collection since 1920
The portrait, which was painted on a cradled oak panel and mounted in a hand-carved gold Dutch frame, also had a label on the back of the frame attributing the work to Rembrandt and stating that it had been displayed in a 1970 exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.??
The painting had been in private family ownership since the 1920s and had been largely forgotten in the attic by its owners.??
After a fierce auction that saw seven bidders unwilling to let it go, the painting was sold for $1.4 million on August 24 to an individual who wished to remain unidentified.
For more news and current affairs?from around the world, please visit?Indiatimes News.
