Dutch Golden Age painter Rembrandt van Rijn is considered one of the most influential and recognizable artists in history. While he was a prolific painter, creating more than 300 paintings, most of his works now belong to museums, and only 35 pieces are privately owned.
In a rare opportunity for art collectors, one of Rembrandt’s early masterpieces has recently been put up for sale by Switzerland’s Koetser Gallery. The asking price for the painting, titled Blind Tobit with the Return of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael and dated 1628-29, is $30 million.
The piece underwent a major restoration earlier this summer and was featured in the “Chasing Rembrandt” exhibition at Wadsworth Atheneum Museum in Hartford, Connecticut. It is currently displayed at Koetser Gallery, where it will remain until the sale process is finished.
“The picture is in a remarkable state of preservation, and cleaning this past summer, after many decades, removed discolored varnish—thereby returning the painting to a pristine presentation,” David H. Koetser of Koetser Gallery said in a statement provided to ARTnews.
At one point, “Blind Tobit with the Return of Tobias and the Archangel Raphael” has been considered a work of one of Rembrandt’s pupils. But in recent times, it was determined that the painting was mostly done by Rembrandt, with one or more of his students also contributing to the piece.
The most recent Rembrandt painting to be offered for sale was a self-portrait from 1632. It went for auction in 2020, being sold for £14.5 million.
