Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam) – Smell
Major unveilings at TEFAF Maastricht, which opens on March 11 include a newly discovered very early work by Rembrandt. Talabardon & Gautier will present the work which was purchased at auction in 2015 catalogued as Continental School, 19th century. Meticulous research and cleaning by the gallery revealed it to be The Unconscious Patient (Smell), c.1624-25. The oil on panel was executed when Rembrandt was only 18 or 19 years old. In addition an example of what is believed to be one of Rembrandt’s earliest signatures was discovered during cleaning.
TEFAF provides an unparalleled platform for dealers to unveil discoveries and re-attributions to a discerning audience of international collectors.
The 2016 TEFAF Art Market Report issued today shows that global sales fell 7% during 2015 from $68.2bn to $63.8bn. The volume of sales declined by 2% to 38.1 million. The picture that emerges in 2015 is of a highly polarized market, whereby most of the value within the market is shared between two sectors – Post War and Contemporary and Modern art – and is concentrated in sales at the very highest price levels.
Although the global sales figure fell in 2015, sales in the US rose by 4% to their highest ever total of $27.3bn confirming its position as the global market leader, with a 43% share of total sales values. The UK, in second place, had a 21% share and China accounted for 19% by value.
(See post on antiquesandartireland.com for March 3, 2016)