Abraham and the Angels (1646), Rembrandt van Rijn courtesy Sotheby’s
Rembrandt van Rijn’s “Abraham and the Angels” was painted in (1646). The dimensions of 6 x 8 inches may be small but the price tag is rather large.
The Biblical work of art was last sold publicly in 1848. “Abraham and the Angels”, should fetch $20 to $ 30 million dollars at Sotheby’s in New York City later this month. This is “one of the last opportunities to acquire an important painting by Rembrandt,” according to Otto Naumann Senior Vice President at Sotheby’s. On this level, almost all of the other paintings reside in private collections in England.
This is one of only two Old Testament paintings that remain in private hands. In 2017, The Frick Museum in New York City displayed the Rembrandt painting. It was the centerpiece of the exhibition, Divine Encounter: Rembrandt’s Abraham and the Angels. It is “almost certainly” the Abraham with the three angels by Rembrandt “ described in a transaction in Amsterdam between two merchants on 28 March 1647”, Sotheby’s says.
So who might be the potential buyers? In hopes of creating a bidding war, the painting was showcased at the Sotheby’s location in Dubai in December. In 2018, during a showcasing event, a rare Rembrandt oil portrait sketch was acquired by the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The next stop on the Sotheby’s tour is Hong Kong. According to a Dutch art dealer Jan Six, “The last couple of Rembrandts that were sold on the market went to museums in Asia, so people are starting to understand that the well is drying up.”
“Whoever acquires Abraham and the Angels,” Six says, “this is a pristine Rembrandt, signed and dated with a fantastic provenance. It’s the perfect cabinet picture you could wish for”.
Learn more about Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and his influence on the art world.
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