200 years after they were first auctioned, the last pair of privately owned works by renowned Dutch painter Rembrandt sold last Thursday for $14 million at the London branch of Christie's.
In 1824, the pair of small rare works of art, measuring about 20 cm, were sold at auction at Christie's auction house and have since been lost.
These are small portraits of an elderly couple painted by Rembrandt in 1635, and located by an auction house official in the home of a British family who were completely unaware of the existence and value of the rare works. "This is one of the most exciting discoveries of recent years in the field of ancient works, and they are very rare," he said excitedly.
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Before being sold, the works underwent a verification process that included extensive scientific and academic research and analysis at the National Museum of the Netherlands. It is assumed that these are Rembrandt's last two works left in private hands. The elderly couple depicted in the rare portraits were close acquaintances of Rembrandt and his family, and their son was married to Rembrandt's maternal cousin. The couple's grandson was an artist himself and, according to insiders, trained with Rembrandt over the years.
The pair remained in the family's care until 1760, when they were first sold at auction in Amsterdam. Over the years they wandered through private collections in Warsaw, Paris and Britain before being purchased by Christie's in 1800 from a descendant of the latter owners. In 1824 they were first sold at Christie's and have remained in the private British collection ever since.
Christie's holds the record amount paid for Rembrandt's work, with Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo selling in 2009 for $34 million.
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