Portrait of a Seated Woman with a Handkerchief
Encyclopedia
Portrait of a Seated Woman with a Handkerchief is a painting at the Art Gallery of Ontario
. Today it is attributed to Carel Fabritius
, but previoulsy it had long been considered a work by Rembrandt.
In 1845 it was sold as part of the auction of Joseph Cardinal Fesch
. It was later in the collection of Sir. G.L. Holford of Dorchester House in London. It was sold alongside the rest of the collection at Christie's in 1928. Still believed to be a Rembrandt it was bought at auction by the Eaton
's corporation for 30,000 Guineas
. The company publicly displayed the portrait at their College Park
store and later at stores in Montreal and Winnipeg. At the time it was the only Rembrandt on public display in Canada. It was later moved to one of the private rooms of the College Street building and was then given as a retirement present to R.Y. Eaton. He loaned the painting to the Art Gallery of Toronto and his widow donated it in 1966. In 1959 it was one of six works stolen from the gallery. The thieves targeted the most valuable works also taking the Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa
and Rembrandt's Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog. Then still believed to be a Rembrandt, Woman with a Handkerchief was had the highest value of those stolen according to the gallery's insurance.
The painting is signed "Rembrandt f. 1644" and this signature was long accepted as valid. It is today known that there are many works with Rembrandt signatures that were not done by him. Some of these are works produced in Rembrandt's workshop, often following an initial sketch of Rembrandt's. Others are pure forgeries with the signature added at a later date to increase its value. The painting does date from the era of Rembrandt, and the date could be accurate. It is rejected as a true Rembrandt as the hands and face of the portrait are painted in a distinctive style, and a style very different from Rembrandt's. The style is similar to the surviving works of Carel Fabritius, one of Rembrandt's most skilled workers. There is still considerably scholarly debate over if the painting is truly one by Fabritius.
There has also long been debate over who the portrait depicts. The most popular theory is that it is Aaltje van Uylenburgh, a cousin of Rembrandt's wife Saskia. The pose of the painting makes clear that it was once part of a set. Likely paired with a portrait of the woman's husband. A painting known as Portrait of a Scholar is of the same size and general style. It today hangs in Cologne and is believed to depict J.C. Sylvius, van Uylenburgh's husband. The two paintings are also recorded as having been sold together in a sale in 1811.
Art Gallery of Ontario
Under the direction of its CEO Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO embarked on a $254 million redevelopment plan by architect Frank Gehry in 2004, called Transformation AGO. The new addition would require demolition of the 1992 Post-Modernist wing by Barton Myers and Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg...
. Today it is attributed to Carel Fabritius
Carel Fabritius
Carel Fabritius was a Dutch painter and one of Rembrandt's most gifted pupils.-Biography:Fabritius was born in Beemster, the ten-year old polder, as the son of a schoolteacher. Initially he worked as a carpenter . In the early 1640s he studied at Rembrandt's studio in Amsterdam, along with his...
, but previoulsy it had long been considered a work by Rembrandt.
In 1845 it was sold as part of the auction of Joseph Cardinal Fesch
Joseph Fesch
Joseph Fesch was a French cardinal, closely associated with the family of Napoleon Bonaparte. He was also one of the most famous art collectors of his period.-Biography:Fesch was born at Ajaccio in Corsica...
. It was later in the collection of Sir. G.L. Holford of Dorchester House in London. It was sold alongside the rest of the collection at Christie's in 1928. Still believed to be a Rembrandt it was bought at auction by the Eaton
Eaton
-Buildings:*Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls across Canada*Toronto Eaton Centre, a large retail and office complex in Toronto, Ontario*Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto*Eaton Center , an office tower in Ohio...
's corporation for 30,000 Guineas
Guinea (British coin)
The guinea is a coin that was minted in the Kingdom of England and later in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom between 1663 and 1813...
. The company publicly displayed the portrait at their College Park
College Park (Toronto)
College Park is a shopping mall, residential and office complex located on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and College Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
store and later at stores in Montreal and Winnipeg. At the time it was the only Rembrandt on public display in Canada. It was later moved to one of the private rooms of the College Street building and was then given as a retirement present to R.Y. Eaton. He loaned the painting to the Art Gallery of Toronto and his widow donated it in 1966. In 1959 it was one of six works stolen from the gallery. The thieves targeted the most valuable works also taking the Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa
Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa
Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa is a 1626 painting by Frans Hals that is currently in the collection of the Art Gallery of Ontario. It depicts Isaac Massa, a prosperous merchant and a close friend of Hals. Massa was the subject of an earlier work by Hals – Isaak Abrahamsz Massa and Beatrix van...
and Rembrandt's Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog. Then still believed to be a Rembrandt, Woman with a Handkerchief was had the highest value of those stolen according to the gallery's insurance.
The painting is signed "Rembrandt f. 1644" and this signature was long accepted as valid. It is today known that there are many works with Rembrandt signatures that were not done by him. Some of these are works produced in Rembrandt's workshop, often following an initial sketch of Rembrandt's. Others are pure forgeries with the signature added at a later date to increase its value. The painting does date from the era of Rembrandt, and the date could be accurate. It is rejected as a true Rembrandt as the hands and face of the portrait are painted in a distinctive style, and a style very different from Rembrandt's. The style is similar to the surviving works of Carel Fabritius, one of Rembrandt's most skilled workers. There is still considerably scholarly debate over if the painting is truly one by Fabritius.
There has also long been debate over who the portrait depicts. The most popular theory is that it is Aaltje van Uylenburgh, a cousin of Rembrandt's wife Saskia. The pose of the painting makes clear that it was once part of a set. Likely paired with a portrait of the woman's husband. A painting known as Portrait of a Scholar is of the same size and general style. It today hangs in Cologne and is believed to depict J.C. Sylvius, van Uylenburgh's husband. The two paintings are also recorded as having been sold together in a sale in 1811.