French art dealer Bertrand Gautier’s hunch about a painting up for auction in New Jersey certainly payed off. The work, labeled as an unknown artist from Europe’s “Continental School” dating back to the 19th century was in fact one of the Dutch master, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn’s first paintings. Unfortunately for Gautier, he was unable to snag the work for just a few hundred dollars since another art dealer, Bertrand Talabardon, shared the same feeling. At the end of the auction block battle, the two men racked up the selling price to over $1 million including the buyer’s premium.
According to reports, the work was painted between 1624 – 1625 when Rembrandt was just 18 or 19 years old. It is part of a known series depicting the five senses, and this newly authenticated work has been titled Unconscious Patient (Sense of Smell), the fourth recovered work in the set…the whereabouts of ‘taste’ are still unknown. Also, restorers discovered that the work had been “Rembrandtized” in the 18th century, meaning someone added a bit more “drama” to the work by increasing the canvas size and juxtaposition, a painting technique used by Rembrandt that later influenced many important artists.
Not wanting to remove the 18th century addition, Gautier constructed a frame that partially enclosed the work. While the face of the frame is shut, all that is visible is Rembrandt’s own work, however once opened you can see the full, later added portion of the piece.
