This auction gem is also called 'a groundbreaking rediscovery'. Two portraits dating from the early seventeenth century by none other than the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn seemed to have disappeared from the face of the earth for a few hundred years. The masterpieces will disappear under the auction hammer at the beginning of July.
The portraits of Jan Willemsz are exceptionally rare. van der Pluym and Jaapgen Carels, signed and dated 1635. These are intimate portraits of relatives of the artist and, according to Christie's Auction House, they provide a unique insight into Rembrandt's activity as a painter within his circle.
The Leiden plumber Willemsz and his wife Carels were closely associated with the artist. The Van der Pluyms were a prominent family in Leiden. Their son Dominicus married a cousin of Rembrandt, Cornelia van Suytbroeck. The child of Dominicus and Cornelia was Karel van der Pluym, who is believed to have trained with Rembrandt. For years, some paintings by Karel van der Pluym were even mistaken as genuine Rembrandts.
The works are less than twenty centimeters high. This makes them among the smallest painted works by Rembrandt. The two small oval portraits were last seen in public in 1824. Also at a Christie's auction. Since then, the works of art have been in the possession of an unknown British family. So for years there was no longer any view of the portraits.
On July 6, the works will again go under the auction hammer. Christie's expects a return of between €5.7 and €9 million. If they end up with an unknown owner again; The masterpieces will be exhibited in Amsterdam from June 21 to 24.
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