Masterpieces by Rembrandt and Domenichino will be exhibited at the December auction Christie's “old masters and paintings of the XIX century"

8 December evening in London trading "old masters and paintings of the XIX century" may be a masterpiece by Rembrandt (1606-1669). Belt "Portrait of a Man", written in 1658, the first time since 1930, exhibiting at the bidding of the outstanding private collection. Estimate the painting, which has not appeared in public for more than 40 years, is 18-25 million pounds.

Richard Knight, Head of International Department of "old masters and paintings of the XIX century» Christie's, said: "Rembrandt - one of the most important European artists that have influenced the development of world art, and we are honored to stand up for sale this truly outstanding portrait, dating from the 1658 year. The canvas was not available to a wide audience since 1970, and for the first time in 40 years will be presented at the pre-auction showing Christie's, which will be held in London from 4 to 8 December 2009. At the same sale will feature one of the most significant paintings in the Baroque style of all that appeared on the market recently - "Saint John the Evangelist" painted Domenichino. Bidding is a momentous event in the history of the Old Masters of painting market and attract the attention of collectors and museums around the world ».

«Portrait of a Man", written in 1658, was created by Rembrandt in the difficult period of his life - the artist had to sell his house and move since two years before that, he was declared bankrupt. By this time he was already a painting style that today's critics call "late" and that is characterized by an increasingly bold brushwork and close attention to the transfer of light, color and texture. Apart from this picture, to have survived only one work by Rembrandt, dated 1658 year - "Self" in which the artist painted himself into the turn three-quarters located in the New York private Frick Museum.

size paintings, which depicted a man with akimbo fixed on the viewer's eye, is 107.4 x 87 cm Paint marked on the canvas in broad strokes, for the freedom which is guessed thoughtful approach to this master, attaches great importance to the transfer of light and shade. The person depicted in the painting of character to date remains unknown, although his unusual attire speaks eloquently about the fact that in Amsterdam, he was passing through. Before painting called "Portrait of Admiral».

Portrait included in the catalog-reason the artist, drawn art historian Cornelius Hofstede de Groot in 1916, this publication throughout the XX century, referred to the principal scholar of Rembrandt. Recently canvas was first subjected to careful study, which was conducted by Professor Ernst van de Vetering, a member organization established to identify authentic works by Rembrandt (Rembrandt Research Project).

first description of a portrait is found in the catalog of the exhibition, held at the British Institution in London in 1847, the canvas for the exhibition provided a collector George Folliott. His nephew put a picture up for auction May 14, 1930, and it was sold for 18,5 thousand pounds - a very significant sum for those times. Soon now privately purchased collector George Huntington Hartford Jr., the chief heir supermarkets Atlantic and Pacific, has long been considered the richest man in the world. He bought the picture, when he was 20 years old, and spoke of her as a "very great portrait of Rembrandt from all that I have ever seen." In 1958 he handed the picture as a gift to Columbia University, where she hung in the presidential office. During the student demonstrations in 1968 moved the portrait to the repository, and in 1974 sold to a private collector (proceeds from the sale was sent to the charity fund of the University). The last time viewers could see the painting in 1970 in the framework of the exhibition "Rembrandt. 300 Years Later ", held in Detroit University of Arts.

In the December auction at the auction will also be billed on one of the most significant paintings in the Baroque style from all that appeared on the market recently - "Saint John the Evangelist" brush Domenichino (1581-1641) . Work is exhibited on the auctions for the first time in the past 100 years, and its estimate of 7-10 million pounds.

Experts tend to believe that the painting was commissioned by Vincenzo Giustiniani (1564-1637), one of the most famous collectors of the XVII century, and was among the most significant completions of his collection, which includes, in addition to other works, 12 paintings by Caravaggio.

Large-scale canvas whose size is 2.5 x 2 meters, is the interpretation of the story murals, which Domenichino executed in the largest Baroque church of Rome, Sant'Andrea della Valle. The picture, written presumably shortly after the completion of the fresco (about 1627-1629), depicts John the Evangelist, who would later become the hero of one of the most famous works of Domenichino - frescoes in the chapel of the cathedral Januarius in Naples.

the first fabric is referred to in the posthumous inventory of the collection Giustiniani, compiled in 1638. The significance of paintings highlights the fact that it was subsequently included in most guidebooks XVIII century, and the engraving on his motives created by Jean Honore Fragonard.

Giustiniani collection was sold piecemeal in the early XIX century. King of Prussia acquired more than 160 works, which soon became part of the collections of various museums in Berlin. Other works from the collection can be seen today in London's National Gallery, the Hermitage in St. Petersburg and in Vienna's Kunsthistorisches Museum.

«St. John the Theologian," was brought to London from Paris around 1806 by Alexis Delahunt. The original painting was bought by a member of the British Parliament and prominent art collector Richard Hart-Davis, and subsequently - Philip John-Miles, who paid for a painting at that time an unprecedented amount of 12 thousand guineas. In addition to paintings of Domenichino in the collection of John-Miles included works by Raphael. Cloth Domenichino was auctioned at Christie's in 1899 after the death of grandson, John-Miles and bought a private collector, and over the next auction is exposed by his heirs.

Source: press release Christie's

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