Decade 1630-1639
REMBRANDT
1
masterpiece
1632 The Anatomy Lesson
Mauritshuis
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1632 Portrait of an Old Woman
2000 SOLD for £ 20M by Christie's
In 1631 Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn begins to be known. The majority of his customers are no longer in Leiden but in Amsterdam. The art dealer Hendrick van Uylenburgh accommodates him and provides him with a studio in the richest city in the world.
Thus freed from material constraints, Rembrandt can therefore devote himself to his art. 1632 is both a prolific and an experimental year. He begins to sell self-portraits, probably to better introduce himself to the wealthy clients of van Uylenburgh.
The main talent of Rembrandt is in the expressive realism of the portraits. The light is centered on the face and fades at the periphery of the image. The young artist experiments with the oval format which elegantly reduces the dark corners. It seems that the oval panels preceded the false frames painted on rectangular panels.
On December 13, 2000, Christie's sold the portrait of an old woman for £ 20M from a lower estimate of £ 4M, lot 52. The image is shared by Wikimedia. The bevelling of this 74 x 56 cm panel attests that the picture was oval from the start.
The portrait is signed van Ryn with the monogram RHL which marks the initials of his first name and his previous installation in Leiden. The artist has not yet found the best way to identify himself : in the same year, he sometimes signs with the simplified version Rembrant of his first name.
The painting is dated 1632. The woman is not identified, which attests that the portrait was painted for the use of her family. Her age is indicated : 62 years old.
In this half-length portrait, Rembrandt uses the padding of the shoulders to show that the woman is frail and petite. The eyes and the smile are a little tired. The cap is an essential accessory for a bourgeois woman of that time.
After investigation about the entourage of the artist, this person can only be Aeltje Sylvius née van Uylenburgh, a cousin of the dealer Hendrick. She and her husband also appear in other paintings. Rembrandt married her niece Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634.
Thus freed from material constraints, Rembrandt can therefore devote himself to his art. 1632 is both a prolific and an experimental year. He begins to sell self-portraits, probably to better introduce himself to the wealthy clients of van Uylenburgh.
The main talent of Rembrandt is in the expressive realism of the portraits. The light is centered on the face and fades at the periphery of the image. The young artist experiments with the oval format which elegantly reduces the dark corners. It seems that the oval panels preceded the false frames painted on rectangular panels.
On December 13, 2000, Christie's sold the portrait of an old woman for £ 20M from a lower estimate of £ 4M, lot 52. The image is shared by Wikimedia. The bevelling of this 74 x 56 cm panel attests that the picture was oval from the start.
The portrait is signed van Ryn with the monogram RHL which marks the initials of his first name and his previous installation in Leiden. The artist has not yet found the best way to identify himself : in the same year, he sometimes signs with the simplified version Rembrant of his first name.
The painting is dated 1632. The woman is not identified, which attests that the portrait was painted for the use of her family. Her age is indicated : 62 years old.
In this half-length portrait, Rembrandt uses the padding of the shoulders to show that the woman is frail and petite. The eyes and the smile are a little tired. The cap is an essential accessory for a bourgeois woman of that time.
After investigation about the entourage of the artist, this person can only be Aeltje Sylvius née van Uylenburgh, a cousin of the dealer Hendrick. She and her husband also appear in other paintings. Rembrandt married her niece Saskia van Uylenburgh in 1634.
3
1632 Self Portrait as a Burger
2020 SOLD for £ 14.5M by Sotheby's
Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn had a gift for facial analysis and wanted to specialize in portrait painting. The realistic portrait of a soldier with the shadow from the hat on the right side of the face, painted in Leiden circa 1626, was probably a demonstrative model. It was sold for £ 8.4M by Christie's on July 3, 2012.
Rembrandt was early interested in self-portrait, perhaps under the influence of his crossed portraits with his workshop colleague Jan Lievens. He used this theme from 1631 in several etchings.
Glory rewards talent. Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam at the end of 1631 while also working on commission in The Hague. In 1632 he painted numerous portraits as well as his first masterpiece of group scenes, the Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp.
Rembrandt then took an unprecedented initiative : rather than offering tronies, he painted self-portraits for sale. The painting is executed quickly with a wet in wet signature. If the piece is not sold, the support is reused. Self-portraits of the artist are certainly still hidden under a repaint made by his workshop.
On July 28, 2020, Sotheby's sold for £ 14.5M from a lower estimate of £ 12M one of these self-portraits, lot 12. This oil on panel 22 x 16 cm is dated 1632, which is consistent with the very ephemeral variant 'Rembrant' of his signature. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The demonstration of authenticity is based on autograph pentiments, and by the use of a board from the same oak as a portrait painted in the same year by Rembrandt. It is one of only two self-portraits on which Rembrandt is dressed as a respectable burger, with a very large ruff and a felt hat. The small format suggests that it is a portable piece which can be used as a sort of business card.
Rembrandt was early interested in self-portrait, perhaps under the influence of his crossed portraits with his workshop colleague Jan Lievens. He used this theme from 1631 in several etchings.
Glory rewards talent. Rembrandt moved to Amsterdam at the end of 1631 while also working on commission in The Hague. In 1632 he painted numerous portraits as well as his first masterpiece of group scenes, the Anatomy Lesson of Dr Tulp.
Rembrandt then took an unprecedented initiative : rather than offering tronies, he painted self-portraits for sale. The painting is executed quickly with a wet in wet signature. If the piece is not sold, the support is reused. Self-portraits of the artist are certainly still hidden under a repaint made by his workshop.
On July 28, 2020, Sotheby's sold for £ 14.5M from a lower estimate of £ 12M one of these self-portraits, lot 12. This oil on panel 22 x 16 cm is dated 1632, which is consistent with the very ephemeral variant 'Rembrant' of his signature. Please watch the video shared by the auction house. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The demonstration of authenticity is based on autograph pentiments, and by the use of a board from the same oak as a portrait painted in the same year by Rembrandt. It is one of only two self-portraits on which Rembrandt is dressed as a respectable burger, with a very large ruff and a felt hat. The small format suggests that it is a portable piece which can be used as a sort of business card.
4
1632 Bust of a Girl
1986 SOLD for £ 7.3M by Sotheby's
Rembrandt is the best portrait painter of his time. He knows it and wants it to be known. In his workshop in Leiden, he paints imaginary tronies of men of all ages. After arriving in Amsterdam in 1632 at the age of 26, he continues this practice while adding portraits of his family and of his future in-laws.
The superiority of his art consists in the physiognomy, the expressiveness, the subtle effect of light on the skin. In Amsterdam, he ads costume tronies to his repertoire, to demonstrate his skill in showing exquisite silks and embroidery as well as jewelry.
An oval tronie of a blonde girl dated 1632 was sold by Sotheby's on December 10, 1986 for £ 7.3M, worth at that time US $ 10.3M, lot 58. The image is shared by Wikimedia. It was painted in oil on a 59 x 44 cm mahogany panel, which is consistent with Rembrandt's practice at that time of favoring wood over canvas for small formats.
The face is fresh and youthful, with chubby pink cheeks. She has long been identified as the artist's sister but this attribution has been refuted. The collar and opening of the coat is amply edged in gold over elegant embroidery and she wears earrings.
The superiority of his art consists in the physiognomy, the expressiveness, the subtle effect of light on the skin. In Amsterdam, he ads costume tronies to his repertoire, to demonstrate his skill in showing exquisite silks and embroidery as well as jewelry.
An oval tronie of a blonde girl dated 1632 was sold by Sotheby's on December 10, 1986 for £ 7.3M, worth at that time US $ 10.3M, lot 58. The image is shared by Wikimedia. It was painted in oil on a 59 x 44 cm mahogany panel, which is consistent with Rembrandt's practice at that time of favoring wood over canvas for small formats.
The face is fresh and youthful, with chubby pink cheeks. She has long been identified as the artist's sister but this attribution has been refuted. The collar and opening of the coat is amply edged in gold over elegant embroidery and she wears earrings.
5
1632 Young Woman in a Beret
2007 SOLD for $ 9M by Sotheby's
The young blonde woman, 59 x 44 cm panel sold for £ 7.3M by Sotheby's on December 10, 1986, has long been considered the sister of artist, Lysbeth. The authentication of a portrait of a brunette with the same youthful face helped refute this hypothesis.
When they were able to inspect this latter portrait in 1972 at the home of its owner, the experts from the Rembrandt Research Project (RRP) described it as a work painted outside the artist's circle. Two elements did not match the master's practice. The oval support, 69 x 54 cm, was not a panel but a canvas stretched on wood. The exotic garment with gold embroidery and the black beret form a disparate ensemble that does not correspond to the fashion of that time.
The RRP wanted to compare this work in 1995 with two other versions. X-ray analysis showed that the primary layers of paint matched Rembrandt's 1632 practice and that the piece of canvas was already known from another authentic painting.
Freed from overpaints and from an old varnish, the oil on canvas has regained the superior qualities of a Rembrandt, with the accentuation of the volume by the angle of the light on the nose and the dimples. It was also identified that the oval shape had not been cut at the time of the execution of the work. The best guess is that an 18th century collector changed the format so that this painting would make a pendant with an oval self-portrait of Rembrandt that he also owned.
The portrait of the young woman in the beret was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on January 25, 2007, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
When they were able to inspect this latter portrait in 1972 at the home of its owner, the experts from the Rembrandt Research Project (RRP) described it as a work painted outside the artist's circle. Two elements did not match the master's practice. The oval support, 69 x 54 cm, was not a panel but a canvas stretched on wood. The exotic garment with gold embroidery and the black beret form a disparate ensemble that does not correspond to the fashion of that time.
The RRP wanted to compare this work in 1995 with two other versions. X-ray analysis showed that the primary layers of paint matched Rembrandt's 1632 practice and that the piece of canvas was already known from another authentic painting.
Freed from overpaints and from an old varnish, the oil on canvas has regained the superior qualities of a Rembrandt, with the accentuation of the volume by the angle of the light on the nose and the dimples. It was also identified that the oval shape had not been cut at the time of the execution of the work. The best guess is that an 18th century collector changed the format so that this painting would make a pendant with an oval self-portrait of Rembrandt that he also owned.
The portrait of the young woman in the beret was sold for $ 9M from a lower estimate of $ 3M by Sotheby's on January 25, 2007, lot 6. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Asking Grok to compare both paintings.
Here is a detailed comparison of the two 1632 Rembrandt paintings that have appeared at Sotheby's under very similar titles: "Young Woman in a Beret" (sold 25 January 2007) and "Bust of a Girl" (sold 10 December 1986).
Basic Data
Date 1632
In a Beret : Oil on oval panel, Signed and dated lower right “RHL 1632”
Bust : Oil on rectangular panel, Signed and dated lower right “RHL 1632”
In a Beret : 54.5 × 44.5 cm (oval)
Bust : 61.9 × 46.4 cm (rectangular)
Subject and Model
Both paintings depict the same young woman at the same moment in 1632, almost certainly Rembrandt’s younger sister Elisabeth van Rijn (Lijsbeth), born 1608. She was about 24 years old in 1632 and is the model for several small-scale Rembrandt portraits from 1632–1634.The pose is virtually identical:
Key Differences
Lighting:
In a Beret : Slightly warmer, more golden light; stronger chiaroscuro
Bust : Cooler, more silvery light
Background
In a Beret : Darker, almost black
Bust : Slightly lighter and more modulated
Handling of paint
In a Beret : Broader, more painterly brushwork in the beret and costume
Bust : Finer, more delicate execution overall
Condition
In a Beret : Very good, minor retouches
Bust : Excellent, virtually untouched
Flesh tones
In a Beret : Rosier cheeks, warmer overall
Bust : Paler, more porcelain-like skin
Beret
In a Beret : More loosely painted, visible brushstrokes
Bust : More precisely rendered folds
Scholarly consensus today, for both : Universally accepted as fully autograph RembrandtUniversally accepted as fully autograph Rembrandt
Scholarly Status
Both works are included in the standard catalogue of Rembrandt’s paintings:
Rembrandt frequently painted multiple versions of the same sitter in the same pose in the early 1630s, especially family members. Examples:
Summary
The 1986 and 2007 Sotheby’s paintings are two different, fully autograph Rembrandt originals from 1632 of the same sitter (his sister Lijsbeth) in almost identical pose and costume. The main differences are format (oval vs. rectangular), subtle tonal and lighting choices, and slight variations in brushwork and finish. Both rank among the finest small-scale Rembrandt portraits still in private hands.
Here is a detailed comparison of the two 1632 Rembrandt paintings that have appeared at Sotheby's under very similar titles: "Young Woman in a Beret" (sold 25 January 2007) and "Bust of a Girl" (sold 10 December 1986).
Basic Data
Date 1632
In a Beret : Oil on oval panel, Signed and dated lower right “RHL 1632”
Bust : Oil on rectangular panel, Signed and dated lower right “RHL 1632”
In a Beret : 54.5 × 44.5 cm (oval)
Bust : 61.9 × 46.4 cm (rectangular)
Subject and Model
Both paintings depict the same young woman at the same moment in 1632, almost certainly Rembrandt’s younger sister Elisabeth van Rijn (Lijsbeth), born 1608. She was about 24 years old in 1632 and is the model for several small-scale Rembrandt portraits from 1632–1634.The pose is virtually identical:
- Head turned three-quarters to the left
- Soft, slightly parted lips, gentle expression
- Wearing a dark beret tilted to the right
- Large millstone ruff collar, dark dress with gold chain
Key Differences
Lighting:
In a Beret : Slightly warmer, more golden light; stronger chiaroscuro
Bust : Cooler, more silvery light
Background
In a Beret : Darker, almost black
Bust : Slightly lighter and more modulated
Handling of paint
In a Beret : Broader, more painterly brushwork in the beret and costume
Bust : Finer, more delicate execution overall
Condition
In a Beret : Very good, minor retouches
Bust : Excellent, virtually untouched
Flesh tones
In a Beret : Rosier cheeks, warmer overall
Bust : Paler, more porcelain-like skin
Beret
In a Beret : More loosely painted, visible brushstrokes
Bust : More precisely rendered folds
Scholarly consensus today, for both : Universally accepted as fully autograph RembrandtUniversally accepted as fully autograph Rembrandt
Scholarly Status
Both works are included in the standard catalogue of Rembrandt’s paintings:
- A. Bredius, Rembrandt: The Complete Paintings, nos. 91 and 92 (1935/1969)
- Accepted without reservation in the Rembrandt Research Project (Corpus volumes I–V; neither has been downgraded or removed)
- Both are considered prime examples of Rembrandt’s intimate, small-scale portrait studies of family members in the early 1630s.
Rembrandt frequently painted multiple versions of the same sitter in the same pose in the early 1630s, especially family members. Examples:
- Two 1632 portraits of his brother Adriaen (one in a beret, one bare-headed)
- Two 1633 portraits of his wife Saskia in red dress, etc.
Summary
The 1986 and 2007 Sotheby’s paintings are two different, fully autograph Rembrandt originals from 1632 of the same sitter (his sister Lijsbeth) in almost identical pose and costume. The main differences are format (oval vs. rectangular), subtle tonal and lighting choices, and slight variations in brushwork and finish. Both rank among the finest small-scale Rembrandt portraits still in private hands.
6
masterpiece
1634 the Soolmans-Coppit portraits
joined ownership of Louvre and Rijksmuseum
Over a decade ago, these two #Rembrandt portraits made headlines when the #Rothschild family offered to sell them to the Louvre. When their price was too high, a more interesting solution was found…
— Barnebys.co.uk (@Barnebysuk) March 21, 2024
7
1634 Overpainted Self Portrait
2003 SOLD for £ 7M by Sotheby's
A photo taken in 1935 shows an oval portrait of a young man in a painted fake frame. The character is dressed in the Russian style of the 17th century, with a very tall red hat. This work is not major but it arouses the curiosity of the collector who manages to have a beret reappeared instead of the hat.
Around 1966 a new owner takes over the investigation. The Russian attributes seem incongruous to him. He takes off the earrings and shortens the mustache, beard and hair.
In 1995 the head of the Rembrandt Research Project is informed and recommends an additional investigation, which is started four years later by Sotheby's. The quality of execution of the lower part of the face is much superior to the rest of the picture, suggesting a work by the master.
The careful peeling away of the overpainted layers reveals the contrast of light under the beret, typical of Rembrandt, and the master's signature with the date 1634. Rembrandt is made recognizable again in this self-portrait taken at the age of 28.
The signature and date were painted wet on wet, attesting to a quick execution. Rembrandt made about 80 self-portraits during his career and was particularly prolific in that theme in the period following his installation in Amsterdam in 1632.
The paints which hid the self-portrait under the features of the Russian tronie are from the period. The Rembrandt committee found three other self-portraits which had been covered by a voluntary intervention of his studio, including one repainted by his own hand. This investigation provides a new element on the practice of Rembrandt : in that period, the self-portraits were intended for sale and the unsold ones were available for a new work.
This self-portrait was sold for £ 7M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2003. The stages of its rehabilitation are described and illustrated in the press release prepared by Sotheby's before the sale. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Around 1966 a new owner takes over the investigation. The Russian attributes seem incongruous to him. He takes off the earrings and shortens the mustache, beard and hair.
In 1995 the head of the Rembrandt Research Project is informed and recommends an additional investigation, which is started four years later by Sotheby's. The quality of execution of the lower part of the face is much superior to the rest of the picture, suggesting a work by the master.
The careful peeling away of the overpainted layers reveals the contrast of light under the beret, typical of Rembrandt, and the master's signature with the date 1634. Rembrandt is made recognizable again in this self-portrait taken at the age of 28.
The signature and date were painted wet on wet, attesting to a quick execution. Rembrandt made about 80 self-portraits during his career and was particularly prolific in that theme in the period following his installation in Amsterdam in 1632.
The paints which hid the self-portrait under the features of the Russian tronie are from the period. The Rembrandt committee found three other self-portraits which had been covered by a voluntary intervention of his studio, including one repainted by his own hand. This investigation provides a new element on the practice of Rembrandt : in that period, the self-portraits were intended for sale and the unsold ones were available for a new work.
This self-portrait was sold for £ 7M by Sotheby's on July 10, 2003. The stages of its rehabilitation are described and illustrated in the press release prepared by Sotheby's before the sale. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
8
1635 the van der Pluym Portraits
2023 SOLD for £ 11.2M by Christie's
Rembrandt moved from Leiden to Amsterdam in 1631. Supported by the art dealer Hendrick Uylenburgh to serve new customers, he was very prolific in commissioned portraits but also in tronies, in self portraits and in portraits of people in his inner circle. The oval portrait 74 x 56 cm dated 1632 of an unidentified woman painted at age 62 is a great example, sold for £ 20M by Christie's in 2000.
Rembrandt wants to extend his know how to history scenes and departs from Uylenburgh's studio in 1635. Nevertheless three pairs featuring couples of husband and wife are dated from that year.
One of these pairs, oil on oval panels 20.8 x 16.7 cm and 19.9 x 16.7 cm, was identified as a Rembrandt work until they were auctioned by Christie's in 1824. They went out of view of all Rembrandt experts for two centuries, treasured by the family of the purchaser until found by Christie's in a routine valuation.
This diminutive format attests that these bust length portraits were featuring a couple of the inner circle. They are identified from slightly later three quarter length portraits painted by some Rembrandt's followers as Jan Willemsz. van der Pluym, a wealthy plumber in Leiden, and his wife Jaapgen, both turning 70 in 1635, who were neighbors to Rembrandt's mother. A reference in the deceased estate of their daughter certainly refers to that pair.
Curiously the dendrochronology concludes that the panels came from trees of different periods, opening the assumption that one of them was painted in Amsterdam and the other one in Leiden.
This unseparated pair was sold for £ 11.2M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Christie's on July 6, 2023, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house explaining the authenticity of this lot, demonstrated by experts from the Rijksmuseum over a 18 month research. Rembrandt was in his time the only Dutch artist able to paint wet on wet.
Rembrandt wants to extend his know how to history scenes and departs from Uylenburgh's studio in 1635. Nevertheless three pairs featuring couples of husband and wife are dated from that year.
One of these pairs, oil on oval panels 20.8 x 16.7 cm and 19.9 x 16.7 cm, was identified as a Rembrandt work until they were auctioned by Christie's in 1824. They went out of view of all Rembrandt experts for two centuries, treasured by the family of the purchaser until found by Christie's in a routine valuation.
This diminutive format attests that these bust length portraits were featuring a couple of the inner circle. They are identified from slightly later three quarter length portraits painted by some Rembrandt's followers as Jan Willemsz. van der Pluym, a wealthy plumber in Leiden, and his wife Jaapgen, both turning 70 in 1635, who were neighbors to Rembrandt's mother. A reference in the deceased estate of their daughter certainly refers to that pair.
Curiously the dendrochronology concludes that the panels came from trees of different periods, opening the assumption that one of them was painted in Amsterdam and the other one in Leiden.
This unseparated pair was sold for £ 11.2M from a lower estimate of £ 5M by Christie's on July 6, 2023, lot 11. Please watch the video shared by the auction house explaining the authenticity of this lot, demonstrated by experts from the Rijksmuseum over a 18 month research. Rembrandt was in his time the only Dutch artist able to paint wet on wet.
Two #Rembrandt portraits hidden from public view for 200 years: 'They were essentially lost pictures'. Read here: https://t.co/E5ZoJGvI4D pic.twitter.com/S0hMbcCm0Q
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 5, 2023
1633 The Five Senses by Jan Breughel the younger
2022 SOLD for $ 8.6M by Christie's
Allegorical series of paintings were in the fashion in Flanders with the Brueghel brothers. They include the twelve months, the four seasons, the four elements and the five senses. At that time in Antwerp a usual practice was a collaboration involving the top masters.
Jan Brueghel the elder and Peter Paul Rubens executed together in 1617 and 1618 a series of the Five Senses which joined before 1636 the collections of the Alcazar. This set of five panels around 65 x 110 cm is currently kept at the Prado. In the same period a set of two painting displaying respectively two and three senses was made by Brueghel for presentation to the Archduke and Archduchess of Austria, joint sovereigns of the Netherlands.
Each sense is a female allegory surrounded by musical, scientific and military equipment along with flowers, game and fish. A putto is superseded by a wine-pouring satyr for the Taste.
Jan the elder died from cholera in January 1625 while his son Jan the younger was in Italy. When the younger returns to Antwerp a few months later, he is the only one able to maintain the family business. His siblings have been decimated and his half-brother Ambrosius is still a child. He sold the finished works of his father and completed some unfinished paintings.
The elder left an original corpus of a great variety. The younger continues in the same themes. He changes the spelling of his name to Breughel for differentiation.
An unsigned and undated set of five panels around 70 x 110 cm of the Senses was sold by Christie's for $ 3.9M on October 3, 2001, lot 98, and for $ 8.6M on November 9, 2022, lot 36. It had belonged to the Holy Roman emperors during the 18th century.
They are nearly identical to the original set of five and in the same size. A female semi-nude is now clothed, possibly for a cleric patron. Some slight differences in style led the experts to attribute them to Jan the younger when he went to manage the business of his late father. The personification and putti may be by another artist.
The set of originals was possibly copied in 1633 when moved via Antwerp to Spain for presentation by the Cardinal Infante Ferdinand to his brother King Felipe IV.
Jan Brueghel the elder and Peter Paul Rubens executed together in 1617 and 1618 a series of the Five Senses which joined before 1636 the collections of the Alcazar. This set of five panels around 65 x 110 cm is currently kept at the Prado. In the same period a set of two painting displaying respectively two and three senses was made by Brueghel for presentation to the Archduke and Archduchess of Austria, joint sovereigns of the Netherlands.
Each sense is a female allegory surrounded by musical, scientific and military equipment along with flowers, game and fish. A putto is superseded by a wine-pouring satyr for the Taste.
Jan the elder died from cholera in January 1625 while his son Jan the younger was in Italy. When the younger returns to Antwerp a few months later, he is the only one able to maintain the family business. His siblings have been decimated and his half-brother Ambrosius is still a child. He sold the finished works of his father and completed some unfinished paintings.
The elder left an original corpus of a great variety. The younger continues in the same themes. He changes the spelling of his name to Breughel for differentiation.
An unsigned and undated set of five panels around 70 x 110 cm of the Senses was sold by Christie's for $ 3.9M on October 3, 2001, lot 98, and for $ 8.6M on November 9, 2022, lot 36. It had belonged to the Holy Roman emperors during the 18th century.
They are nearly identical to the original set of five and in the same size. A female semi-nude is now clothed, possibly for a cleric patron. Some slight differences in style led the experts to attribute them to Jan the younger when he went to manage the business of his late father. The personification and putti may be by another artist.
The set of originals was possibly copied in 1633 when moved via Antwerp to Spain for presentation by the Cardinal Infante Ferdinand to his brother King Felipe IV.
#AuctionRecord From the Paul G. Allen Collection, Jan Breughel the Younger’s ‘The Five Senses: Sight, Touch, Hearing, Taste and Smell’ set an auction record for the artist with a price realized of $8.634 million pic.twitter.com/HU583PL44J
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) November 10, 2022
portrait by HALS
1
1634 Tieleman Roosterman
1999 SOLD for £ 8.3M by Christie's
The portraits of wealthy customers by Frans Hals are highly realistic, made in strong brushstrokes that increase the vitality.
Tieleman Roosterman was a merchant of linen and silk in Haarlem. His portrait by Hals is dated 1634 and marked 36 for his age. He is standing in three-quarter-length, in a black suit with a white ruff and cuffs, his hat in his right hand.
This oil on canvas 117 x 87 cm had been restituted to a Rothschild after a Nazi spliation. It was sold for £ 8.3M by Christie's on July 8, 1999. It was acquired at that sale by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Tieleman Roosterman was a merchant of linen and silk in Haarlem. His portrait by Hals is dated 1634 and marked 36 for his age. He is standing in three-quarter-length, in a black suit with a white ruff and cuffs, his hat in his right hand.
This oil on canvas 117 x 87 cm had been restituted to a Rothschild after a Nazi spliation. It was sold for £ 8.3M by Christie's on July 8, 1999. It was acquired at that sale by the Cleveland Museum of Art. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1635 Willem van Heythuysen
2008 SOLD for £ 7.1M by Sotheby's
Willem van Heythuysen was a wealthy merchant in Haarlem. Frans Hals painted his portrait ca 1635. He sits, a little toppled backward on a chair in unstable position. His attitude and his eyes express insolence, arrogance. To confirm this fact, he is shown with a whip in hands, which he bends. Not really nice, man ...
This small oil on oak wood 47 x 37 cm was sold for € 470K by Im Kinsky on October 12, 2004, then considered as by the workshop of Hals or by a follower. Re-attributed to the master after a meticulous inspection, it was sold for £ 7.1M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2008, lot 26. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
This small oil on oak wood 47 x 37 cm was sold for € 470K by Im Kinsky on October 12, 2004, then considered as by the workshop of Hals or by a follower. Re-attributed to the master after a meticulous inspection, it was sold for £ 7.1M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2008, lot 26. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
3
1637 unidentified couple
2018 SOLD for £ 10M by Christie's
Frans Hals began his career in Haarlem at a time of religious tensions. He is a friend of the purist doctrinaire Samuel Ampzing who promotes a simple and austere way of life for the Protestants.
Hals did not leave Haarlem and his art reflects the very specific ambience wanted by Ampzing. Portraitist of bourgeois and merchants, he does not confuse wealth and luxury. His sitters wear dark clothes only embellished with a white collar.
The faces have the same pictorial quality as the portraits made by Rembrandt but the monotony of his theme bored the following generations. The importance of his work was restored in the mid-nineteenth century by Thoré-Bürger who was also the discoverer of Vermeer.
In the early 1630s, Hals reduces his palette to gray, brown and black with an infinite variety of shades in these three colors. He is by that way reaching the high end of purism without losing the pictorial quality. His palette of blacks will be admired by van Gogh.
On December 6, 2018, Christie's sold for £ 10M from a lower estimate of £ 8M a pair of oils on canvas forming pendants, 93 x 68 cm each, lot 10, in an exceptional state of preservation.
This pair is the three-quarter length portrait of a couple, dated 1637, possibly commissioned for their wedding anniversary. The man and the woman each hold a pair of deerskin gloves that symbolize their union. They are not identified but their age is recorded : 37 years old for the man and 36 for the woman.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's showing four masterpieces from the Eric Albada Jelgersma collection.
Hals did not leave Haarlem and his art reflects the very specific ambience wanted by Ampzing. Portraitist of bourgeois and merchants, he does not confuse wealth and luxury. His sitters wear dark clothes only embellished with a white collar.
The faces have the same pictorial quality as the portraits made by Rembrandt but the monotony of his theme bored the following generations. The importance of his work was restored in the mid-nineteenth century by Thoré-Bürger who was also the discoverer of Vermeer.
In the early 1630s, Hals reduces his palette to gray, brown and black with an infinite variety of shades in these three colors. He is by that way reaching the high end of purism without losing the pictorial quality. His palette of blacks will be admired by van Gogh.
On December 6, 2018, Christie's sold for £ 10M from a lower estimate of £ 8M a pair of oils on canvas forming pendants, 93 x 68 cm each, lot 10, in an exceptional state of preservation.
This pair is the three-quarter length portrait of a couple, dated 1637, possibly commissioned for their wedding anniversary. The man and the woman each hold a pair of deerskin gloves that symbolize their union. They are not identified but their age is recorded : 37 years old for the man and 36 for the woman.
Please watch the video shared by Christie's showing four masterpieces from the Eric Albada Jelgersma collection.
Albada Jelgersma Collection ‘A Seminal Moment’ for Old Master Market, Says Christie’s https://t.co/djtV3ifd8l pic.twitter.com/zp6schgtMe
— Art Market Monitor (@artmarket) October 17, 2018
