Rembrandt’s painting “The Adoration of the Kings” was sold for $13.7 million at an auction organized by Sotheby’s earlier in December. This alone wouldn’t be much of a surprise if it weren’t for the fact that the same painting was valued at $10,000 just a couple of years ago.
“The Adoration of the Kings” initially re-surfaced at an auction by Christie’s in 2021. At the time, the work was attributed to one of Rembrandt’s students or artists close to him and was valued between $10,000 and $15,000. However, an unnamed buyer won the auction with a bid of $910,000, hoping it might belong to Rembrandt.
The new owner of the painting reached out to Sotheby’s, which embarked on a research project that lasted for 18 months. Using advanced methods and observations from art experts and Rembrandt scholars, the auction house concluded that it was, in fact, an original work from the famous painter.
“The Adoration of the Kings” piqued the interest of collectors due to being one of rare Rembrandt’s paintings that shows narrative scenes that isn’t housed in a museum. Most privately-held Rembrandt paintings are portraits or single-character studies.
“Rembrandt was an artist who is as renowned for his production of etchings and drawings in monochrome as for his paintings in color, so this work is a stunning achievement in oil paint and is a testament to his ambition and self-awareness at the age of about 22. Very few narrative paintings by Rembrandt remain in private hands, making this an opportunity for a private collector or an institution that is as rare as it is exciting,” said George Gordon, Old Master Paintings co-chairman at Sotheby’s.
