Life in miniature: Rediscovered Rembrandt portraits go on show at Rijksmuseum
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam unveils the smallest formal portraits made by Rembrandt, which have been rediscovered and attributed to the Dutch master.
Rediscovered Rembrandt portraits
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has recently put on display the smallest formal portraits made by Rembrandt after they were rediscovered earlier this year.
The portraits, known as "Jan and Jaapgen", depict a wealthy slater and plumber from Leiden and his wife. They disappeared for almost two centuries before being accepted as part of Rembrandt's work and loaned to the Rijksmuseum on a long-term basis.
"It is mindblowing," says Jonathan Bikker, the museum's curator of 17th-century Dutch painting. "Totally unknown works hardly ever happen. We really wanted to be able to show them."
The portraits' history
The portraits of Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and Jaapgen Caerlsdr are believed to have been painted by Rembrandt in 1635 as a favor to the couple. The depictions, measuring 19.9cm by 16.5cm, were smaller versions of two large works that were first suspected to be Rembrandt's after an auction catalogue was discovered in 1977.
Extensive research and analysis, including X-radiography, infrared photography, and paint sample analysis, allowed the Rijksmuseum to formally attribute the portraits to Rembrandt.
According to Jonathan Bikker, the style and spontaneous changes in the paintings confirmed the hand of Rembrandt. "These paintings, considering their style, are very sketchy and spontaneous and that's just something a copyist doesn't do," he explains.
The Van der Pluym family connection
The Van der Pluym family had a close relationship with Rembrandt's family due to a marriage between Dominicus Van der Pluym and Rembrandt's cousin Cornelia Cornelisdr van Suytbroek in 1624. The portraits were purchased by collector Henry Holterman, who has generously loaned them to the Rijksmuseum in recognition of their research.
Taco Dibbits, the director of the Rijksmuseum, expressed his excitement about the portraits, saying, "Jan and Jaapgen will bring visitors closer to Rembrandt's family circle. It is wonderful that the paintings are being entrusted to the Rijksmuseum so that millions of people can enjoy them."
