'The Adoration of the Magi' (1632-1633), Rembrandt van Rijn. Italy Heritage Foundation
One of the paintings of a great art collector accidentally falls from the wall on which it was hung and because of the impact it has to go through the restoration workshop. So far, the scene could be part of the daily life of any collector or restorer. The surprise comes once the canvas rests on the table in the Roman studio of the restorer Antonella di Francesco. Just shortly after beginning to remove the thick layer of varnish, dust and dirt that covered it, the scholar glimpses familiar colors and lines. After checking with another colleague and making some checks, she reaches a conclusion: she is convinced that she has before her the original
The Adoration of the Magi by
the Baroque master Rembrandt van Rijn, painted between 1632 and 1633.
This is a painting that had been lost for centuries and copies of which are only preserved in Saint Petersburg (Russia) and Gothenburg (Sweden).
"It is an emotion that is unparalleled," said Di Francesco.
The study of the work began in 2016, but recently the conclusions of the experts were presented at a symposium held at the French Academy of the Villa Medici in Rome, and promoted by the Italy Heritage Foundation.
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The experts who have studied the work support its attribution on the dimensions of the piece (54 x 44.5 centimeters), equal to those of a series of Rembrandt engravings relating to the life and passion of Christ, or the extremely rare, but typical of the Dutch master or the support of paper on canvas. Di Francesco speaks of “a perfect osmosis between the surface of the background paper and the movement of the ink and the pencil, between veils of light and deep shades of shadow in a refinement that only a great author is capable of vibrating. In short, the line and portrait of a single artist: Rembrandt ”. The scholars of the Fundación Patrimonio Italia, who have observed the work in depth through X-rays, point out that it could be a model for an engraving and that it looks like an immediate, determined starting sketch,but at the same time loose and secure. They have also discovered other unfinished lines beneath the surface drawing.
The experts who have analyzed the work maintain that the differences between the figures that appear in the two copies of 'The Adoration of the Magi' from Russia and Sweden are only explained by the existence of a third work that would be the original.
For them, the genuine composition is the one found in Rome, which contains elements common to both copies, such as the standing king or the strip of sky at the top of the painting.
At the moment, it is only known that the painting, which has never been exhibited, belongs to a Roman family and that the painting was in a “silent, lonely and peaceful” place, in the words of the restorer.
The piece is part of a historical-artistic collection that dates back in part to the end of the 16th century and in which there are also other works of Dutch origin.
The president of Fundación Patrimonio Italia, Guido Talarico has told CNN that the painting is currently in the hands of an art company that is conserving it in Milan and that the owners plan to lend it to a museum or gallery instead of selling it.
The piece will be made available to the international scientific community so that different experts can shed light on the attribution.
The Italian news agency ANSA has calculated that the potential value of the work could range between 70 and 200 million euros.
The auction record for a Rembrandt stands at around 28 million euros, when a work by the artist was sold in 2009 at Christie's gallery in London, according to the Artnet price database.
