Portrait of a Young Man (Rembrandt)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Portrait of a Young Man (Rembrandt van Rijn)
Portrait of a Young Man
Rembrandt van Rijn , ca.1634
Oil on canvas
94.5 × 73.5 cm
Private ownership ( Jan Six ), Amsterdam

The Portrait of a Young Man or Portrait of a Young Man is an oil painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt van Rijn . The work did not appear on the art market until 2016 and was attributed to Christie’s Rembrandt’s circle by the London auction house . It sold for £ 137,000 at auction in December 2016 . In 2018, the Dutch art dealer Jan Six went public with the statement that the painting was a work of Rembrandt. This makes it the first completely unknown Rembrandt painting to appear on the art market since 1974.

The painting is executed in portrait format on canvas and can be dated to around 1634 because of the special type of lace collar, which was only in vogue for a short time. After an analysis of the primer and painting technique and a comparison with his other portraits from this period, the picture can reliably be attributed to Rembrandt. It may be a fragment of what was originally a much larger double or family portrait.

description

The painting shows the half-length of a man of about 25 years of age, turned half to the right, in front of a gray-blue curtain. He has turned his head to the right so that he is looking almost frontally at the viewer. His red-blonde, slightly wavy hair falls almost to his shoulders and forms a French fringe on his forehead that reaches down to a finger's breadth above the eyes. The hair is lightly pressed on top and sides, as if he had just taken off a hat. He is clean-shaven and has brown eyes. The man is wearing a black suit that identifies him as married, and over it a velvet black cloak. His right arm is hidden by his cloak, the left one protrudes from underneath and his hand rests on his stomach. The arm is covered by a white shirt sleeve with a cuff made of multi-layered lace. On his hand he wears a light-colored ice cream glove with folded cuffs, the fingertips of which look as if the owner had just tugged at them to take off the glove. The man's white collar is unusually wide and made of elaborately crafted bobbin lace , as it was worn around 1635 in France, England and in fashion-conscious circles of the Dutch upper class. The third pointed flap from the left is slightly turned over, giving the impression of space. The collar is closed with cords that hang down and end in tassels, which are also made of lace.

The gray-blue background is shown slightly wavy and shows a curtain. At the lower right edge of the picture is a table covered with a yellow and red colored tablecloth or a patterned carpet. A black object with round contours is visible on it, which could be part of a dark item of clothing.

Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit, 1634, oil on canvas, approx. 207 × 132 cm, alternating between Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands and Louvre, Paris, France Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit, 1634, oil on canvas, approx. 207 × 132 cm, alternating between Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands and Louvre, Paris, France
Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Portrait of Oopjen Coppit , 1634, oil on canvas, approx. 207 × 132 cm, alternating between Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands and Louvre, Paris, France
Portrait of a Married Couple, 1632/33, oil on canvas, 132.2 × 109.5 cm, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum , Boston, USA (lost)

The painting has the format 94.5 × 73.5 cm and is painted with oil paint on canvas. The pad consists of two pieces sewn together. The upper one is 91.7 to 89.5 × 73.5 cm and the lower 3.0 to 4.3 × 73.5 cm, so that the seam rises slightly from left to right. The painting has been relined repeatedly . It is currently stretched on modern linen that protrudes on all four sides but is hidden by the frame. On the back, a piece of canvas measuring approximately 7 × 35 cm from an old lining is glued to the strut of the stretcher , on which Rembrandt is written in almost format-filling letters . This is probably an inscription on the back of the painting of undetermined age. The stretcher frame dates from the 19th century and has a number of nail holes on all sides. The layer of paint has become thinner in places as a result of several doublings. The removal of old varnish has resulted in a slight leveling of the surface. Nevertheless, according to Jan Six, the original structure of the color surface can still be clearly seen in the oblique light. The painting bears neither a signature nor a date.

Ernst van de Wetering took the view that the portrait could be the preserved fragment of an originally much larger double or family portrait. Some of Rembrandt's great works have only survived as fragments, such as the anatomy of Dr. Tulp and the The Batavian Conspiracy under Claudius Civilis . Rembrandt and Saskia in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is likely less than half the original, and even The Night Watch has been cropped on all sides.

Van de Wetering bases his assumption on the small width of the canvas strip on the lower edge. To sew on such a narrow strip would be atypical for Rembrandt and the use of materials in his workshop. He suggested that the painting in its original state could have been a double portrait or a family portrait with a woman seated to the right of the man. Based on the measurement of an Amsterdam cubit of 68.8 cm in length, van de Wetering would come to a height of 206.4 cm and a width of 240.8 cm. Paintings of this size were also special commissions for Rembrandt, but they were repeated. Examples are the portrait of a married couple , which has been lost since the Boston art theft, and the portraits of Marten Soolmans and Oppjen Coppit from the Éric de Rothschild collection for 160 million euros to France and the Netherlands in 2016.

background

The Baptism of the Chamberlain , 1626, oil on panel, 63.5 × 48 cm, Museum Catharijneconvent , Utrecht

In 1631 Rembrandt's Leiden period ended with his move to Amsterdam. There he was soon employed in the workshop of Hendrick van Uylenburgh , whom he had known before he moved and whom he supported with a loan of 1000 guilders. Most recently Rembrandt was the workshop manager, and he lived as a boarder in van Uylenburgh's house until 1635. In the early summer of 1634 Rembrandt married Saskia van Uylenburgh , Hendricks niece. For Rembrandt, the 1630s were a period of great productivity, and numerous portraits were made in 1634 and 1635.

According to the Rembrandt researcher Ernst van de Wetering, in the long term a previously completely unknown work by Rembrandt will only be discovered every 20 years. That happened in 1974 with the christening of the chamberlain from 1626, which was hanging in the living room of an elderly lady in Nijmegen . The existence of the laughing Rembrandt , discovered in England in 2007, was proven by a historical print, and three of the five pictures of the cycle were already known for the passed out patient auctioned in New Jersey, USA in 2015 . The discovery of an unknown work by Rembrandt is therefore of great importance.

Discovery and purchase by Jan Six

The painting was consigned to the London auction house Christie's in early 2015 by a member of the Neave family . At that time, it was still regarded as a work by Ferdinand Bol , presumably on the basis of information from the consignor's family . This attribution was quickly rejected and Christie's attributed the painting to Rembrandt's circle. The originally planned sale in July 2015 was abandoned, the condition of the painting was examined and a restoration was carried out. A presumably later addition was removed from the upper edge.

In December 2016, Christie's painting was auctioned off at its Old Masters auction. A photo was inadvertently shown in the auction catalog that showed the painting in the condition in which it was posted. In fact, the painting, now reduced in size, was in a broad, carved and gilded frame. The dimensions given at 101 × 74.3 cm also corresponded to the condition before the extension was removed. The lot description read: Lot 122. Circle of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam). Portrait of a gentleman, half-length, in a black velvet cape and with a white lace collar and sleeves ( English Lot 122. Circle of Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn (Leiden 1606–1669 Amsterdam). Portrait of a gentleman, half-length, in a black velvet cloak and white lace collar and cuffs ). The probable provenance of the first or second Baronet Neave of Dagnam Park was given, and the present owner inherited the painting. The estimate was given at 15,000 to 20,000 British pounds .

The Dutch art historian and art dealer Jan Six , while reading the catalog, got the impression that the painting could be a painting by Rembrandt. This was due to the fact that the auction description could not be accurate. According to Jan Six, the painting could be dated to around 1634 due to the typical execution of the lace collar. At this point in time, Rembrandt, who had just come to Amsterdam, still had no “circle”. Six consulted with the Dutch art historian and currently leading Rembrandt expert Ernst van de Wetering , who gave a cautiously positive assessment but did not want to make an attribution after a digital photo.

Jan Six went to London for a preview, where he reduced the upper edge of the painting and found it in a more than 15 centimeter wide, gold-colored profile frame. He made numerous detailed photographs and found similarities between the portrait and the portrait of Philips Lucasz. and the portrait of Marten Soolman . He went to the National Gallery to get the photos with the portrait of Philips Lucasz on display there. to compare. The similarities of the portrait with this and other paintings that were certainly attributed to Rembrandt and further conversations with van de Wetering strengthened Six's conviction that the portrait was by Rembrandt.

Six got in touch with a business partner as a potential investor and created the prerequisites for auctioning the painting at a very high price. Through a middleman, Six took part in the auction on December 9, 2016. The hammer price was 137,000 pounds (including buyer's premium, corresponding to around 156,000 euros).

Dating and attribution to Rembrandt

Contemporary garments: ice cream gloves, 1615–1625, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and lace collars, England or the Netherlands, c. 1635, 90.2 × 26.7 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City Contemporary garments: ice cream gloves, 1615–1625, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and lace collars, England or the Netherlands, c. 1635, 90.2 × 26.7 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City
Contemporary garments: ice cream gloves , 1615–1625, Victoria and Albert Museum , London, and lace collars , England or the Netherlands, c. 1635, 90.2 × 26.7 cm, Metropolitan Museum of Art , New York City

The man portrayed can be reliably identified as a married member of the urban upper class through his elaborate clothing. The elaborate lace collar, the same cuffs and the high-quality gloves show him as wealthy and very fashion-conscious. Such elaborate lace was mainly common in France, Italy and England, in Holland it was very unusual. It has to be a man with international connections or someone with a strong understanding of international fashion. Since the depicted version of the lace collar was only in vogue for a short time, the painting can reliably be dated to around 1633 to 1635. If the attribution to Rembrandt is accepted, the man must be a citizen of Amsterdam, since Rembrandt lived and worked in Amsterdam since 1631.

After Jan Six took over the purchased portrait, an in-depth study was carried out as part of the restoration of the painting, including analysis of samples of the paint and the primer. The primer consists of two layers, first a reddish ground made of earth or red ocher , and then a second layer of white lead with traces of paint. The paint was applied to this double ground. This type of primer corresponds to the primers of other paintings by Rembrandt from 1634. In terms of the material used, the painting style and the composition, the portrait of a young man largely corresponds to Rembrandt's Portrait of Marten Soolman . A particularly strong indication is the way in which the lace collars were painted on both portraits. Rembrandt did not paint white on the black background, but in black on the two-dimensional white pre-painted collar.

Restorations

Condition 2015, for delivery to Christie's , 101 × 74.3 cm

When the portrait was brought to Christie's in 2015, it was not in its original condition. A strip had been added to the upper edge, which enlarged the format to 101 × 74.3 cm. Extensive overpainting of the background and the black coat and numerous smaller overpaintings significantly changed the impression of the painting. The auction house hired a restorer to rework the painting. In the process, the strip on the upper edge, which the restorers believed was from the 19th century, was removed and thrown away. The overpainting that covered the seam between the original and the addition was removed. In addition, the painting was relined. A strip of the old canvas, from an earlier lining, had the words Rembrandt on the reverse and was attached to the strut of the stretcher on the reverse of the painting. A restoration report was not drawn up or withheld.

On November 23, 2016, following the restoration on their behalf, Christie's prepared a condition report for the painting. The paint layer was described as stable, and despite some overpainting and an uneven layer of varnish, the painting is in a good state of preservation. The canvas was recently relined and is therefore well stretched and stable. In the lower left quarter there were two repaired cracks and it appears as if the edges that were originally folded over to fix the frame have now been folded out and become part of the picture surface. As a result of previous doubling, the texture of the paint application is reduced, the dark paint layers have become transparent in places through natural aging and there are indications of color abrasion, but without any noticeable loss of image details. The carved and gilded frame shows signs of wear on the gilding, but is overall in good condition.

Immediately after the portrait arrived in Amsterdam, Jan Six gave it to the couple Laurent Sozzani and Eneida Parreira. Sozzani worked as a senior restorer at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam from 1990 to 2012. Since then the couple has been working as independent restorers in Amsterdam. They have already carried out the extensive restoration of a portrait of a woman, possibly Anna Wijmer , for Jan Six . The restorers found that the gray background had been completely painted over. After removing the varnish, it could be seen that the gray color of the overpainting had run into cracks and unevenness in the original paint layer in many places. There were small nail holes eight centimeters apart on all edges. Apparently the painting had been nailed directly to a base at an earlier point in time. At the lower left the canvas shows repaired horizontal and vertical cracks. The restorers suggested that the painting was originally much larger and that the extent of its reduction was dictated by damage of an unknown nature. They removed the old overpainting and applied a new varnish.

reception

Jan Six published a paperback in May 2018 with a description of the painting and the circumstances of its discovery, the results of technical investigations and an art-historical classification. He himself, Ernst van de Wetering and numerous experts involved in the examination and restoration of the picture were convinced of the authenticity of the work. Van de Wetering names the painting in the preface, based on what has been preserved, as one of the masterpieces of Rembrandt's portrait art. In a newspaper interview a few months later, van de Wetering expressed himself more reluctantly that the painting was just routine work that was not very enjoyable. As a fragment of a larger work, it is a strange thing, between an authentic Rembrandt and something else.

The public press was only informed when the book was published by Jan Six and the Prometheus publishing house. The reporting was not focused on the qualities of the work, but on the circumstances of its discovery. Nevertheless, a number of art historians also had their say. Norbert Middelkoop, the curator of the Amsterdam Museum , was convinced of the authenticity of the portrait. His colleague David de Witt from the Museum Het Rembrandthuis in Amsterdam was more cautious and pointed out that there was now the opportunity to examine the picture in peace.

Provenance

Gable view of the Trippenhuis , Reinier Vinkeles , 1803, drawing, Amsterdam City Archives

Nothing could be determined about the history of the portrait between 1634 and the early 19th century. However, there is strong evidence that the portrait belonged to the collection of Jan Coenraad Pruyssenaar (1748–1814). Pruyssenaar had become prosperous in the sugar business and had built up an important art collection. After the French invasion and the establishment of the Batavian Republic , Pruyssenaar ran into financial difficulties and had to part with his collection of paintings. It was auctioned on February 27, 1804 in the Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. In addition to the art dealer and later museum director Cornelis Sebille Roos, the auctioneers also included Pruyssenaar's son, the draftsman and art dealer Roelof Meurs Pruyssenaar. The picture on the right shows the view of the Trippenhuis in 1803, paintings are being delivered to the left entrance and to the right of the door there is a poster listing Roos and Pruyssenaar as art dealers.

In the auction catalog there was a painting listed as a portrait of a man, half-length, dressed in black with a lace collar, he holds the left hand, which is covered with a glove, in front of the belly this piece is masterfully and vigorously painted, and signed Rembrandt ( Dutch Een Mans Pourtrait, ter halverlyf, gekleed in 't zwart en een kante kraag, hoodende de lefterhand, Welke met een Handschoen covered is, op de Borst; det stuk is meesterlyk en krachtig gepenceeld, en getekend Rembrandt ) was described. In the 1915 catalog raisonné of Rembrandt by Cornelis Hofstede de Groot , the painting is listed with the number 809b: A man in black clothing with a lace collar holds his gloved left hand on his chest. Half figure. - Masterfully and vigorously painted. Inscribed: Rembrandt . Apparently Hofstede de Groot took over the old description from the catalog. The painting was sold for only six guilders to a “Gruiter”, possibly an art dealer of the time that is no longer comprehensible today. The price seems extremely low. The portrait of a man, possibly the poet Jan Harmensz. Krul was sold for 165 guilders in 1738. The portraits of Maarten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit were sold by Pruyssenaar to Pieter van Winter for 12,000 guilders around 1799 , and in 1823 the portrait of Nicolaes Rut achieved 4010 guilders. After the portrait of a young man was sold to “Gruiter”, its whereabouts are not certain; the picture probably ended up in the Amsterdam art trade.

According to the consignor at Christie's in 2015, the portrait was acquired by one of his ancestors and has since been in the possession of the Neave Baronets of Dagnam Park. A possible buyer is Richard Neave, 1st Baronet , who had become wealthy as a merchant, served as Governor of the Bank of England for two years and built the family seat of Dagnam Park in Romford . His son Thomas Neave, 2nd Baronet (1761–1848) was, like his father, an art collector and could also be considered a buyer. Thomas Neave and his son Digby Neave, 3rd Baronet , were board members of the British Institution , they also brought works from their property into the exhibitions. In June 1864 the catalog of an exhibition listed as number 24 a portrait of a man, G. Flinck, Sir R. Digby Neave, Bart. ( English Portrait of a Man, G. Flinck, Sir R. Digby Neave, Bart. ). It could have been a portrait of a young man , an incorrect attribution to Rembrandt's pupil Govaert Flinck is understandable for the unsigned portrait.

In the 1930s, the art historian William George Constable noted about a visit to Dagnam Park: In the dining room: Bol. Portrait of a young man, 3/4 long, slightly r (real). Black coat, warm shadows on the head. Hand with typical angular fingers (gloved), holds a cap ( English In the dining room: Bol. Portrait of Young Man., 3/4 length slightly r (ight). Black coat, warm shadows on head. Hand with square fingers typical (handgloved), holding cap ). It is unclear, provided it is the same painting, who changed the attribution from Flinck to Ferdinand Bol between 1864 and 1930 . There may be a sign with the name Bols on the frame, as was common in private collections in the 19th century. The Neave family gave up the Dagnam Park estate in 1940 and moved to Wales. The last Neave to own the portrait of a young man was Paul Arundell Neave, 7th Baronet (* 1948). The portrait was consigned to Christie's as a work by Ferdinand Bol. The current owner is Jan Six, possibly with an unnamed investor.

exhibition

literature

  • Jan Six: Rembrandt's portrait van een jonge man . Prometheus, Amsterdam 2018, ISBN 978-90-446-3820-2 (Dutch)
  • Jan Six: Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman. With a preface by Prof. Dr. Ernst van de Wetering . Prometheus, Amsterdam 2018, ISBN 978-90-446-3863-9 (English translation)

Web links

Commons : Portrait of a Young Man  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Jan Six: Description . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 18–26.
  2. ↑ a b c Ernst van de Wetering: Preface . In: Jan Six, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 8–9.
  3. ↑ Jan Six: Original Composition . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 78–84.
  4. ↑ a b c d e Danielle Pinedo and Arjen Ribbens: Onbekend schilderij van Rembrandt ontdekt and New Rembrandt masterpiece identified in Amsterdam (English translation), NRC Handelsblad online, May 15, 2018, accessed on October 14, 2019.
  5. ^ Ernst van de Wetering: Rembrandt, a biography. In: Gemäldegalerie der Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Ed.): Rembrandt. Genius in search. DuMont Literature and Art, Cologne 2006, ISBN 3-8321-7694-2 , pp. 21–49.
  6. ^ A b Circle of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam). Portrait of a gentleman, half-length, in a black velvet cloak and white lace collar and cuffs , Christie’s London website , lot 122 of the Old Masters Day Sale on December 9, 2016, accessed on October 13, 2019.
  7. ↑ Christie's (Ed.): Old Masters. King Street. Friday 9 December 2016 . Christie's, London 2016, lot 22, p. 34, digitizedhttp: //vorlage_digitalisat.test/1%3Dhttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.christies.com%2FPDF%2Fcatalog%2F2016%2FCKS11976_SaleCat.pdf~GB%3D~IA%3D~MDZ%3D%0A~SZ%3D~ double-sided% 3D ~ LT% 3D ~ PUR% 3D .
  8. ↑ a b c Jan Six: Introduction . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 12–15.
  9. ↑ a b Arjen Ribbens: 'In één oogopslag zag ik: dit is een Rembrandt' (Interview with Jan Six), NRC Handelsblad online, May 15, 2018, accessed on October 14, 2019.
  10. ↑ Jan Six: Fashion . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 30–34.
  11. ↑ a b c Jan Six: Resoration . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 52–74.
  12. ↑ Condition Report from Christie's auction house in London of November 23, 2016, for lot 122 of the December 9, 2016 auction. In: Jan Six, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , Appendix, p. 143.
  13. ↑ Arjen Ribbens: 'Mijn vriendschap met Jan Six is ​​voorbij' (Interview with Ernst van de Wetering), NRC Handelsblad online, September 17, 2018, accessed on October 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ Nina Siegal: A New Rembrandt? A Dutch Art Dealer Says He's Found One , New York Times, May 16, 2018, accessed October 14, 2019.
  15. ↑ a b c d Jan Six: Provenance . In: the same, Rembrandt's Portrait of a Young Gentleman , pp. 38–48.
  16. ↑ Cornelis Hofstede de Groot: Descriptive and critical directory of the works of the most outstanding Dutch painters of the XVII. Century. Sixth volume. Paul Neff, Esslingen a. N. - Paris 1915, work 637 Marten Daey (correct portrait of Marten Soolmans ), 638 Machteld van Doorn (correct portrait of Oopjen Coppit ) and 809b A man in black clothes , pp. 272–273 and p. 338, digitized, UB Heidelberg .
  17. ^ Attributed to Rembrandt or circle of Rembrandt. Portrait of a young man, approx. 1633–1635 on the website of the RKD - Nederlands Instituut voor Kunstgeschiedenis , accessed on October 14, 2019.