Rembrandt’s painting reappears after disappearing for many years: Rijksmuseum

A painting that disappeared from view in the 1960s and has never been seen by the public since is a genuine Rembrandt, Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum said on Monday.

title Zechariah’s vision in the templePainted in 1633, the painting was initially questioned by scholars versed in Rembrandt’s work. But after two years of research into the pigments used in the piece, experts from the Rijksmuseum discovered that the piece was actually created by an old Dutch master.

It was a surprising find and a significant one, as news of the ownership was announced by the museum that owns the collection. night watchman (1642), one of Rembrandt’s masterpieces.

Zechariah’s vision in the temple earlier than night watchman The previous work, some nine years earlier, was in the early stages of Rembrandt’s career. It depicts Zechariah, a Jewish priest who, in the New Testament, was visited by the archangel Gabriel and told that he would have a son.

In typical Rembrandt style, Zechariah’s vision in the temple Dominated by black darkness. The light pouring in from the upper right corner symbolizes the arrival of Gabriel—a figure that Rembrandt did not depict here but rather as an emanation. Then the yellow light continued to bounce off Zechariah’s golden robe.

Biblical scenes like this were common for Rembrandt; The prodigal son returnsa 1669 painting widely regarded as a late-career triumph. unlike The prodigal son returnsone of the star attractions of the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Zechariah’s vision in the temple Fell into obscurity.

According to the Rijksmuseum, a collector (who was not named by the institution) purchased the work in 1961, a year before it was officially declared not to be by Rembrandt. The collector then hid the painting and kept it secret for years, the museum said.

Sixty-five years later, a collector came to the National Museum to examine the painting. The agency used the same technology it recently applied night watchman and found that the painting’s materials matched those used in other paintings of Rembrandt’s time. The museum said it had also verified the painting’s signature and date of 1633.

“It’s fantastic that people can now learn more about the young Rembrandt – he created this very moving work shortly after moving from Leiden to Amsterdam,” Rijksmuseum director Taco Dibbits said in a statement. This is a beautiful example of Rembrandt’s unique way of depicting stories. “

The National Museum will put the painting on display to the public starting Wednesday. However, the work has not officially entered the museum’s collection: the Rijksmuseum said in a press release that the painting is on long-term loan from its owner.

This announcement is rare – newly discovered Rembrandts don’t come around very often. However, this isn’t even the only Rembrandt to appear this year. In February, a Dutch woman revealed that she owned 35 Rembrandt etchings. The prints will go on display later this month at the Musea Zutphen, a town in the Netherlands where the woman’s family lives.