Rembrandt Millionaire Selling Self Portrait 0:49
(CNN) - A Rembrandt self-portrait sold for £ 14.5 million ($ 18.7 million) in a virtual auction on Tuesday. This is a record price for a self-portrait by the Dutch master, according to auctioneer Sotheby's.
The work, a 1632 oil painting on an oak panel showing the young artist at a time when he had recently settled in Amsterdam, is believed to be one of the last privately owned self-portraits.
Rembrandt was an early pioneer of selfies. The artist created some 80 paintings, prints, and drawings of himself, documenting his moods and appearance between the ages of 22 and 63, according to Sotheby's.
The portrait, painted in oil on an oak panel, was previously in the hands of a private collector (Credit: Rembrandt / Private Collector / Sotheby's).
In addition to creating self-portraits as a way of studying character and exercising ways of portraying moods and light, Rembrandt also produced the works - which often had elaborate costumes - to sell to clients.
The artist probably painted the portraits of himself to give prospective buyers an idea of how he would portray them if they commissioned a job, Sotheby's said.
The work in question, in which he is seen dressed in black with a white collar and a black hat with gold trim, "is one of only two in which the artist was portrayed dressed as a wealthy young man," Sotheby's said.
Rembrandt created some 80 paintings, prints and drawings of himself
The portrait, which overshadowed the auctioneer's previous sale of a Rembrandt self-portrait in 2003 for $ 8.9 million, was one of five lots to sell for more than $ 10 million at the virtual night auction, which featured works that span over 500 years. The sale price of the £ 14.5m piece includes fees.
The item that was sold at a higher price was Joan Miró's “Femme au chapeau rouge” from 1927, which was auctioned for £ 22.3 million ($ 28.8 million) including fees after a battle of 11-minute bids, added Sotheby's.
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