Ashmolean uncovers painting from Rembrandt's workshop
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, October 12, 2024


Ashmolean uncovers painting from Rembrandt's workshop
Taking the Young Rembrandt exhibition as an opportunity to re-examine the painting, Curator An Van Camp and Conservators Jevon Thistlewood and Morwenna Blewett, brought the picture out of the stores to analyse it with the help of Professor Peter Klein, an internationally renowned dendrochronologist.



OXFORD (AFP).- The Ashmolean has uncovered a painting in its stores, bequeathed to the Museum in 1951, which can now be confirmed as having been painted in Rembrandt’s workshop in c. 1630. The tiny picture, Head of a Bearded Man, is a portrait study of an old man with a downcast gaze, typical of Rembrandt’s work at this time. The painting will be put on display in the critically acclaimed Young Rembrandt exhibition where it can be seen alongside other works of the same period, before undergoing further study and conservation in the Ashmolean’s labs to determine whether there is evidence of Rembrandt’s own hand in the work.

The painting was bequeathed to the Museum by a British art collector and dealer and entered the collection as an early Rembrandt. A printed label stuck to the back of the painting has been cut out from the catalogue of a Paris auction which took place on 25 February 1777. The text reads: ‘A Head of an Old Man, painted by Rembrandt. Very (realistic/ true to nature?) colour; height, six pouces by five wide.’ But it was rejected in 1982 by the leading authorities on Rembrandt’s work, ‘the Rembrandt Research Project’, who believed it to be the best of a number of copies of a lost original. Another version is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston.

Taking the Young Rembrandt exhibition as an opportunity to re-examine the painting, Curator An Van Camp and Conservators Jevon Thistlewood and Morwenna Blewett, brought the picture out of the stores to analyse it with the help of Professor Peter Klein, an internationally renowned dendrochronologist. He has established that the wood panel on which it is painted comes from the same tree used for Rembrandt’s Andromeda Chained to the Rocks (c. 1630, Mauritshaus, The Hague) and Jan Lievens’s Portrait of Rembrandt’s Mother (c. 1630, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden), both painted when the artists were working in Leiden.




Professor Klein says: ‘Dendrochronology is a method for dating wooden objects by analysing the growth rings of the tree and determining its felling date. The Ashmolean’s Head of a Bearded Man was painted on a panel which came from an oak tree in the Baltic region, felled between 1618 and 1628, and used in two known works by Rembrandt and Lievens. Allowing a minimum of two years for the seasoning of the wood, we can firmly date the portrait to 1620-30’

The painting depicts an elderly balding man in melancholy contemplation. Despite overpainting and layers of discoloured varnish, expressive brushstrokes show through and convey the troubled face. Head studies such as this are typical of Rembrandt’s work in Leiden and were eagerly collected by contemporaries.

An Van Camp says: ‘As a curator it is incredibly exciting to find out that a previously unidentified painting can be placed in the workshop of one of the most famous artists of all times. I am delighted to have the chance to show the panel in our exhibition where it can be seen alongside other works painted in Rembrandt’s workshop at the same time.’

Jevon Thistlewood says: ‘Examination of this small painting suggests that prior to the earliest known photograph (published in 1936), touches of paint were added by an unknown hand which have considerably disrupted the subtle illusion of depth and movement. When the exhibition closes we will begin the process of restoring the painting and we can’t wait to see what we find.’










Today's News

September 2, 2020

Ashmolean uncovers painting from Rembrandt's workshop

Clyfford Still: The Late Works catalog investigates the artist's late works in painting and drawing

This unsung genius has a solo show in Georgia

City of London reviews monuments linked to slavery

Gandhi's iconic glasses sell for $340,000 in UK

Tom Joyce joins Gerald Peters Contemporary

Rothschilds' portrait of young Elizabethan adventurer falsely accused of being part of the Gunpowder Plot comes to aucti

Roanoke's 'lost colony' was never lost, new book says

The Chinese Art Market: Christie's Education announces virtual international academic conference

Joe Ruby, a creator of 'Scooby-Doo,' is dead at 87

Aldir Blanc, lyricist who pushed Samba's boundaries, dies at 73

The 1938 Superman comic book that helped take down a cheap imitator called Wonder Man heads to auction

There'll be a theater season. But how and where and when?

Adirondack Experience Museum announces building project to create new space for fine art collection

Fairuz: the Arab world's most celebrated living voice

Bruneau & Co. announces results of Estate Fine Art & Antiques Auction

Petzel appoints Ricky Lee as Director of Communications

Downtown Grand Hotel & Casino's new gallery tower to feature expansive, interactive art program

The Museum of Contemporary Art Tucson presents a new commission from Jibade-Khalil Huffman

Up on the roof, flesh and blood dancers move and connect

Whimsical, romantic exhibit opening at Missoula Art Museum

Guild Hall announces outdoor installation by inaugural community-artist-in-residence Monica Banks

New Orleans Museum of Art unveils commissioned work by Roberto Lugo

Tips on How to Get a Job for College Students

Helpful Tips for Storing Art Properly




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful