
This seasonal image by Rembrandt is from the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. It was purchased in 1883. We wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas.
This seasonal image by Rembrandt is from the collection of the National Gallery of Ireland. It was purchased in 1883. We wish all our readers a very Happy Christmas.
A small self-portrait by Rembrandt van Rijn made £14,549,400 setting a new auction record for a self-portrait by the artist at auction at Sotheby’s marquee sale in London today. It was chased by six bidders. The previous record of £6.9 million for a self-portrait by the artist was in 2003.
Rembrandt recorded his own physiognomy in no fewer than 80 paintings, etchings and drawings, throughout his career. Dated to 1632, this self-portrait of the artist aged 26-years, was created at a pivotal moment in his life, when he was just establishing himself in Amsterdam and enjoying new-found commercial success. The work is one of only two self-portraits in which he shows himself formally dressed. Self-portrait, wearing a ruff and black hat is one of only three remaining in private hands. Sotheby’s believe it is the only one ever likely to come to auction.
FROM Rembrandt to Richter Sotheby’s announced the second headline work of its major cross-category summer evening auction in London on 28 July. Gerhard Richter’s Wolken (fenster) (Clouds (window)) is an immersive skyscape with an estimate of £9-12 million. Richter’s skyscape reinvents the sublime landscapes of predecessors like Constable, Turner and Caspar David Friedrich, channelling their works into a new contemporary vision, in an effort establish a legitimate place for painting in the post-photo age. The resulting abstract, almost minimalist work, is painted not from life but from a photograph.
From Rembrandt, ‘the first modern painter’, to Richter, who has earned his position as one of today’s great contemporary artists by drawing upon the inheritance of the past, this auction will span over 500 years of art history, drawing the Old Masters together with 19th century, Impressionist, Modern and Contemporary artists.
The Abduction of Ganymede’, 1635, by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669)
Highlights from the Dresden State Art Collections will be shown at the loan exhibition at TEFAF Maastricht from March 16-24. The exhibtion will be a prelude to the opening of the State Apartments at Dresden’s Royal Palace in September and the reopening of the Semper Building, home to the Old Masters Picture Gallery, next December. A total of 23 works from the State Apartments, the Royal Palace, the Semper Building and the Sculpture collection will be on show. At TEFAF there will be a chance to see works such as The Abduction of Ganymede 1635 by Rembrandt before they go on permanent display in Dresden.
The opening of the State Apartments in September will be the culmination of an extensive restoration and refurbishment project. In 1997 the Saxon State Government decided to recreated the suite of rooms opened by August the Strong in September 1719 which had been destroyed in the war. Outstanding textiles, porcelain and furniture will illustrate the splendour of the Saxon Court within the State Apartments.
Highlights to be shown include the Crown of August the Strong, Elector of Saxony, King of Poland, created in 1697 (from the Rüstkammer); a rare series of five Meissen vases, four depicting the elements and one centre vase bearing the coat of arms and portrait of Ludwig XV, created by Johann Joachim Kändler (from the Porzellansammlung); the extraordinary painting The Abduction of Ganymede, 1635, by Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669) (from the Gemäldegalerie); and an exquisite sculpture, Apollo and Daphne, after Bernini, which dates c.1700 (from the Skulpturensammlung).
Rembrandt Self Portrait c1628.
Rembrandt Self Portrait wearing a soft hat (1632-36).
Rembrandt’s masterpiece The Night Watch is to be restored in public at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam beginning in July 2019. The 1642 work will be restored in a painstaking process likely to take years, and all on public display. The varnish on the painting has darkened over the years, dimming the original colours. Here is a video about the the project from the Rijksmuseum.
The Rijksmuseum is celebrating Rembrandt’s anniversary today with the online publication Drawings by Rembrandt. Born on July 15, 1606 he is regarded as one of the greatest artists in the history of art. The Rijksmuseum has the most important collection paintings, drawings and prints by Rembrandt in the world.
All drawings by Rembrandt from the Rijksmuseum collection in Amsterdam will now be available to everyone in high resolution. This is accompanied with the most up to date knowledge by Rembrandt specialist Peter Schatborn and Head of the Rijksmuseum Printroom Jane Turner. From now on, researchers, students and Rembrandt-lovers will gain new insights, knowledge and inspiration by the 64 landscapes, biblical scenes, portraits and everyday scenes of Rembrandt.
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn – Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene as a Gardener c1645 (detail)
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn – Saskia sitting by a window c1638 (detail)
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)