A new painting officially enters the production of one of the most important painters in the history of art. We are talking about the great Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, more commonly known as Rembrandt: researchers from the great art museum in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, have discovered after new analyzes that the Vision of Zechariah in the Temple (1633) is truly a youthful work by the painter, after the authenticity of the painting had been excluded since 1960.
There Vision of Zechariah in Rembrandt’s Temple
The painting, now on display at the museum, depicts a biblical scene: we see the high priest Zechariah in the temple with an incredulous expression. The presence of the archangel Gabriel is just suggested in front of him, who announces that he and his wife, despite their advanced age, will have a son: John the Baptist.
The work had been potentially attributable to Rembrandt already in the nineteenth century, which is why it was exhibited in the great Rembrandt exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam in 1898. In 1960, however, the hypothesis of authenticity was excluded.
The following year a private collector bought the painting, which thus disappeared from circulation. The current owner, however, contacted the Rijksmuseum, allowing a new analysis of the painting.
The rediscovery of a work by Rembrandt
The large painting by the Dutch painter, engraver and designer of the Golden Age was therefore subjected to the most recent research techniques, also used for the restoration of the famous painting The Night Watch.
But what emerged from this new investigation, which lasted two years? The analysis showed that all the pigments used are also present in other paintings by Rembrandt from the same period. Even the laying of the pictorial layers and the execution technique are consistent with his early works.
Advanced X-ray techniques (MA-XRF) were used to analyze the pigments, with which the presence of the same materials used by Rembrandt in his other works was ascertained, such as lead white, ocher, bone black and lead-tin yellow. The signature and date were also examined: the inscription “Rembrandt f. 1633” features the same letterform and painting technique as other recognized works from this period, and microscopic and infrared research shows that the signature was applied to wet paint and partially integrated into the background, demonstrating its originality.
The support of the work was also the subject of study: the painting was executed on two oak panels from trees grown in the south-east of Lithuania, a rather common source of wood in the 17th century. The dimensions and construction also correspond to the panels frequently used by Rembrandt, while dating based on tree rings (called dendrochronology) confirms the plausibility of the engraved date, that “1633”.
From an authorial point of view, then, the changes made during the painting process were observed. For example, the censer (also called censer, i.e. the vessel where incense is burned) placed on the altar was originally larger. As they recall from the Rijksmuseum, this type of modification belongs to an artist who perfects his own work, and not to a copyist, who would have simply reproduced the model without altering it.
An analysis was also made of the subjects’ expressions and the use of light within the work: there is a strong resemblance to Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem (1630). Even the application of colour, including the small highlights in lead yellow and the loose brushwork on the fabrics, corresponds to Rembrandt’s youthful manner.
And the theme? It is one of the few historical paintings created by Rembrandt in this period. At the time, he mainly made portraits, which were very profitable. A final clue is revealed to us by the specific choice of the moment represented, the one immediately preceding the revelation of Gabriele’s identity. A dramatic turning point, and a sudden reversal of situation and mood: the choice to represent this moment was a common device of his time — known as staetveranderinge — that Rembrandt often used in his early paintings. The result? More touching and engaging works.
