From attic to auction: A Rembrandt painting sells for $1.4M in Maine

THOMASTON, Maine — A Rembrandt painting discovered in the attic sold for $1.4 million.

The 17th-century painting, “Portrait of a Girl,” by Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was discovered by art appraiser and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux in an attic of an estate in Camden, Maine. A label on the back of the frame stated that it had been loaned to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for a 1970 exhibition.

“When we visit homes, we often go in blind, not knowing what we will find,” he said in a statement. “The house was filled with beautiful pieces, but in the attic, among piles of art, we found this remarkable portrait.”

Rembrandt, born in 1606, was a prolific artist who focused on a variety of subjects, from portraits to landscapes and historical and biblical scenes.

“Portrait of a Girl” was painted on an oak panel and mounted in a hand-carved gold Dutch frame, Veilleux said.

An auction by Thomaston Place Auction Galleries on Aug. 24 drew stiff competition, he said, with a European collector ultimately paying $1.41 million for the painting.