A 17th-century Rembrandt painting discovered in an attic has sold for $1.41 million.
Kaja Veilleux, an art appraiser and founder of Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, recently visited a home in Camden, Maine, to view a private collection. What he found was nothing short of shocking, even for the experienced appraiser of over four decades.
“On house calls, we often go in blind, not knowing what we’ll find,” Veilleux told the Associated Press. “The home was filled with wonderful pieces but it was in the attic, among stacks of art, that we found this remarkable portrait.”
After wading through the collection, Veilleux’s eyes caught on a portrait of a teenage girl in a black dress. A label on the Dutch frame provided the earth-shattering reveal: It was attributed to Rembrandt.
Titled “Portrait of a Girl,” its history is largely unknown, however, it’s believed the unidentified owners have held the painting in the family for around 100 years, loaning it to an exhibition in 1970 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art before retaking custody.
The final sale marked a record price for any work of art sold in Maine.
Rembrandt, considered one of the greatest painters in European history, produced around 300 paintings over the course of his life. Nearly all of those hang in museums, making public sales extremely rare, and the discovery of a previously unaccounted for painting a monumental moment.
The record price for any Rembrandt portrait is around $25 million, set by Christie's during a 2009 sale.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.