A Rembrandt self-portrait dating back 379 years has recently been verified as the real deal, according to the UK’s Daily Mail.
In 1968, Rembrandt expert Horst Gerson together with the Rembrandt Research Project doubted the authenticity of this work of art. And now after 50 years of uncertainty, the painting, dated 1635, is finally acknowledged and verified as a real Rembrandt.
In 2010, the 91 x 72cm painting was given to the English National Trust and has been housed at Buckland Abbey in Devon ever since. Rembrandt expert Dr Ernst van de Wetering studied the painting carefully and in 2012 stated that it could very well be an original Rembrandt. As a result of van de Wetering’s study, the National Trust shipped the painting to the Hamilton Kerr Institute in Cambridgeshire whereby further scientific analysis and tests were conducted.
Magnification, infra-red reflectography and pigment analyses were some of the techniques used by the institute during the examination. A careful removal of some layers of varnish helped reveal the original colours and techniques hidden from the eye. In fact, upon closer inspection, Rembrandt’s painted signature was the sign that led scientists at the institute to fully believe that the painting is indeed one belonging to the Dutch master.
The self-portrait, now valued at £30 million, remains on display at Buckland Abbey in Devon, United Kingdom.
Source: DutchNews.nl
Image Credit: National Trust
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem
Elizabeth Joss-Bethlehem is the founder and main writer at The Museum Times. She works as a university lecturer by day and is an avid travel blogger and arts and culture enthusiast by night. Elizabeth started The Museum Times out of the need to give smaller, lesser-known museums more exposure.
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