The masterpiece of the Dutch master Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669) has been unveiled to the public after 65 years.
According to a report by BBC on the 2nd (local time), the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, confirmed that Rembrandt's work 'Vision of Zacharias in the Temple' was authentic at the request of an owner.
Painted by Rembrandt around the age of 27 in 1633, 'Vision of Zacharias in the Temple' depicts a scene from the Bible where high priest Zacharias receives the prophecy of the birth of John the Baptist from the Archangel Gabriel.
Since being acquired at an auction by a private collector in 1961, the exact whereabouts of this work was unknown. It was brought back to the public eye when an owner requested authentication from the Rijksmuseum.
After two years of research using modern analysis tools including XRF scans and visual inspections, the museum confirmed the authenticity of the work. The wood panel was determined to be from the time of production, and aspects such as the paint used, painting technique, layering of paint, and modifications made by Rembrandt during production all matched.
Taco Dibbits, the director of the Rijksmuseum, stated, "We have been aware of the existence of this painting for over 100 years, but never actually seen it. This painting embodies all the characteristics of works created by Rembrandt during his early prime. You can feel that he poured his soul into this painting."
Starting from the 4th, 'Vision of Zacharias in the Temple' will be exhibited at the Rijksmuseum.
Rembrandt's works, known as the 'Painter of Light', have also been famous for trading for billions of won at auctions. A similar work completed around the same time, 'Portrait of Marten Soolmans and Oopjen Coppit' (1634), was jointly acquired by the Rijksmuseum and the Louvre Museum in France for 160 million euros (approximately 270 billion won based on current exchange rates) in 2015. The most recent lion painting was sold for 13 million pounds (approximately 25 billion won) last month.