How does a 400-year-old Rembrandt end up forgotten in the corner of an attic in Maine??
Art appraiser and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux recently discovered a rare treasure during a house call to a private residence in Camden, Maine, where a 17th-century Rembrandt was stowed away in an attic.
Veilleux told the Associated Press,
On house calls, we often go in blind, not knowing what we'll find. The home was filled with wonderful pieces, but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait.
The painting, Portrait of a Girl by Rembrandt, features what the art appraiser calls Rembrandt's signature "ribbon candy collar" on a young girl.
The artwork has been privately owned since the 1920s, but it's highly unusual for lost art from European artists to end up in the U.S., especially in forgotten private collections hidden away in the attic.
A label on the back of the frame noted that it was loaned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for an exhibition in 1970.
The painting has not yet been authenticated, but is presumed to be the real deal, and several interested buyers participated in a bidding war at the auction.
Art authentication expert, Mark Winter, told the Times,
The person who bought the painting for $1.4 million already got a great bargain. The value of this painting is probably in the area of $15 million.
What a steal!
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