Published 16:31 IST, February 18th 2020
400-year-old Rembrandt's painting wrongly attributed to unknown artist
A painting that had been wrongly attributed to an unknown artist from Rembrandt's workshop has now been judged to have been a work of the Dutch master himself.
- World News
- 2 min read
A painting that had been wrongly attributed to an unknown artist from Rembrandt's workshop has now been judged to have been a work of the Dutch master himself. According to media reports, the painting that is approximately 400-year-old is now being attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn. The painting is called 'Portrait of a Young Woman' and has been on display at Allentown Art Museum for decades now. The recent claim has been made by conservators from New York University, who have said that the delicate brushwork underneath looks like the work of Rembrandt himself.
Conservators used a variety of modern technology
According to media reports, conservators used a variety of modern technology, including X-ray, infrared, electron microscopy and some expert detective work to remove layers of overpainting and dark, a thick varnish that had been added over the centuries. The oil and oak panel painting started displaying a delicate brushwork which the conservators suspected was original work of Rembrandt and not of his assistance as it was claimed by experts in the 1970s. Apart from New York University experts, outside conservators also examined the painting and concluded that it is an authentic Rembrandt painting.
The 1632 'Portrait of a Young Woman' is on display at the Allentown Art Museum in Pennsylvania since 1961. As per reports, the restoration work on the historic painting was done by Shan Kuang, a conservator at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. The museum has no intention of selling the artwork and has said that the painting will go on display from June 7. The painting is currently in the museum's vault. An official associated with the museum said that everyone is very thrilled and excited to know that the painting is from Rembrandt. According to the official, there are as many as 688 and as few as 265 paintings that are still attributed to the Dutch artist.
Updated 16:31 IST, February 18th 2020