There has been much revision in attributions in recent decades. A running joke used to be that, of the 3,000 or so paintings by Corot, 10,000
are in the United States. One artist whose body of work has come
under intense scrutiny is Rembrandt. The Rembrandt Research Project, founded in 1968, has significantly reduced the number confidently
ascribed to him, including several that have been considered among
his finest works. One of these especially stands out. The Man with a
Golden Helmet in Berlin is one of the most reproduced paintings in
the world. Recent opinion, backed up by very persuasive scientific evidence, places its authorship with an unidentified student among Rembrandt’s circle. It’s a strange situation. No one is saying it’s not a great
picture. The intrinsic qualities that made it so beloved are still there. It’s
just not a “Rembrandt” anymore. What does that make it; a painting in
search of an author? Or does its value still hang on its association with
a household name?
Melville Holmes
Melville Holmes (b.1950) is
a fine artist devoted to doing
“new paintings like those of
the old masters. He has deeply studied the history, technology, and chemistry of the
materials of oil painting, and
has written several published
papers on the subject.He lives
in Spokane, WA.
Unidentified artist, Man with a Golden Helmet
Photo: Public Domain
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