A 17th-century portrait discovered in a Camden, Maine, attic sold for $1,410,000 at Thomaston Place Auction Galleries on August 24, 2024. The total, reported as about $1.4 million including auction fees, went to a private European collector. The sale does not establish that Rembrandt painted it: the unsigned work was catalogued as “after Rembrandt,” meaning it follows his style without confirmed authorship.
What was found in the Maine attic?
Auctioneer Kaja Veilleux and an assistant found the painting during a routine house call to a private estate in Camden. It was stacked among other paintings in the attic, where its route into the house remains unknown. Reporting says the work had been in the family’s private ownership since the 1920s.
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The lot, titled “Portrait of a Girl,” shows a teenage girl in a black dress with a white ruffled collar and cap. It is painted on a cradled oak panel and sits in a hand-carved gold Dutch frame. A label on the back of the frame attributed the portrait to Rembrandt and said it had been loaned to a 1970 Philadelphia Museum of Art exhibition.
How much did the portrait sell for?
| Figure | What it represents |
|---|---|
| $10,000–$15,000 | Pre-sale estimate reported by the Portland Press Herald |
| $900,000 | Level at which three phone bidders were still competing |
| $1 million | Level at which two bidders remained |
| $1,410,000 | Final price reported by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries |
| About $1.4 million | Associated Press total including auction fees |
Nine phone bidders participated. Thomaston Place called the result a believed Maine auction record, while the Press Herald described it as a record for the auction house.
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Who discovered it?
Veilleux, the owner and auctioneer of Thomaston Place, found the portrait with an assistant while assessing the Camden estate. The discovery illustrates why attic contents can merit a professional appraisal: a work that appeared amid stored paintings carried a frame label, exhibition connection and physical characteristics that attracted specialist attention and bidders.
Was it really painted by Rembrandt?
There is no confirmed answer. The auction catalogue intentionally used “after Rembrandt,” not “by Rembrandt.” In art-market terminology, that wording generally indicates a later artist copied or followed Rembrandt’s composition or manner, while authorship by Rembrandt himself remains unproven.
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Why attribution is difficult
Rembrandt’s workshop produced copies and adaptations, and students and later artists worked in closely related styles. National Gallery of Art specialists note that modern attribution asks which artist painted which passages, rather than treating every Rembrandt-like image as an autograph work.
What authentication would require
Experts would need documentary provenance research and technical examination. That can include studying paint layers and pigments, the oak panel and its construction, and other physical evidence, then comparing the results with securely documented Rembrandt and workshop paintings. Thomaston Place did not conduct that technical analysis or consult outside art historians before the auction.
Why did an unsigned “after Rembrandt” work reach $1.4 million?
- Upside for a buyer: Authentication expert Mark Winter told Smithsonian that the purchaser had already obtained a bargain and estimated a possible value of about $15 million if Rembrandt’s authorship were ultimately established. That is an expert estimate, not a verified valuation or a guaranteed resale price.
- Compelling physical and historical clues: The 17th-century panel, Dutch frame, verso attribution label and reported 1970 museum loan gave bidders reasons to investigate further, even though none proves authorship.
- Competitive bidding: Nine phone bidders drove the price far beyond the initial estimate, with multiple bidders still active at $900,000 and $1 million.
- Rarity and uncertainty: A potentially important Rembrandt-related discovery is unusual. Winter also cautioned that new Rembrandt paintings are not discovered every day.
What the sale price does—and does not—prove
What it shows
The auction result shows that bidders assigned substantial financial value to the painting’s combination of age, quality, documentation clues and possible Rembrandt connection. It also demonstrates how an auction estimate can be overtaken when several determined bidders compete.
What it does not show
The $1.4 million result is not proof of authorship, and it is not the same as a $15 million market value. The latter figure is a conditional estimate tied to successful authentication. Until provenance and technical studies support a stronger attribution, the defensible description remains an unsigned work catalogued “after Rembrandt.”
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What this means for owners of inherited or attic art
- Do not discard or clean a work prematurely. Original surfaces, labels, frames and construction details can be important evidence.
- Document what you have. Photograph the front, back, frame, labels and any inscriptions; record where and when it was found.
- Seek an independent professional art appraisal. An appraiser can assess condition, likely period, attribution language and appropriate next specialists.
- Ask about provenance and technical work. For a potentially valuable old master, request clarity about documentary research, panel examination, pigments, imaging and conservation history.
- Understand auction terms. Compare the estimate with the expected buyer’s premium, seller’s commission, insurance, shipping and taxes; a headline hammer price may not equal the seller’s net proceeds.
The Maine case is a reminder that a promising label or family story is a lead, not authentication. Specialist research determines whether a painting is by Rembrandt, from his workshop, a copy by another artist or simply later work in his manner.
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