Two Rembrandt Paintings Are Headed to Auction After Being Hidden for 200 Years. Here's How Much They're Expected to Fetch. The works of art are the last pair of Rembrandt portraits to remain in a private collection.

By Sam Silverman

CHRISTIE'S IMAGES LTD. 2023

Two Rembrandt paintings are headed to auction after being hidden in a private collection for nearly 200 years. The pair is expected to fetch a whopping £5 million to £8 million ($6.25-$10 million), according to auction house Christie's, which is selling the paintings.

The works of art, portraits of the artist's relatives Jan Willemsz. van der Pluym and Jaapgen Carels, are signed and dated 1635, according to a press release from Christie's.

The paintings remained in the sitters' family and moved between private collections until James Murray put them up for sale at Christie's in 1824. They have remained in a private collection in the UK and haven't been seen by the public since, until now.

RELATED: Would You Buy Maggie Murdaugh's Monogrammed Snake Print Pillows? Items From the Murdaugh Family Home Are Going Up for Auction

The current owners have not been named, but Henry Pettifer, international deputy chairman of Old Master Paintings at Christie's, told CNN the paintings were discovered during a "routine valuation to look at the contents of a house."

He said the owners were surprised by the findings. "I don't think they had looked into it," he added. "They didn't have expectations for the paintings."

The paintings will go on tour in New York and Amsterdam in June, then will be displayed during Christie's Classic Week in London starting July 1 and sold July 6.

"This is one of the most exciting discoveries we have made in the Old Masters field in recent years and we are delighted to bring this pair of portraits by Rembrandt to auction this summer, almost 200 years after they were last seen in public," Pettifer said in the release.

RELATED: From Trading Baseball Cards to $300 Million in Sports Memorabilia Sales, Ken Goldin Is the 'King of Collectibles' on Netflix

"Painted with a deep sense of humanity, these are amongst the smallest and most intimate portraits that we know by Rembrandt, adding something new to our understanding of him as a portraitist of undisputed genius," he added.

The most expensive Rembrandt ever sold went for a whopping $25.3 million at Christie's in 2009.

Wavy Line
Sam Silverman

Entrepreneur Staff

Content Strategy Editor

Sam Silverman is a content strategy editor at Entrepreneur Media. She specializes in search engine optimization (SEO), and her work can be found in The US Sun, Nicki Swift, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and Health. Her coverage spans from business and tech to entertainment news. Sam is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently resides in NYC. 

Editor's Pick

A Father Decided to Change When He Was in Prison on His Son's Birthday. Now His Nonprofit Helps Formerly Incarcerated Applicants Land 6-Figure Jobs.
Lock
A Teen Turned His Roblox Side Hustle Into a Multimillion-Dollar Company — Now He's Working With Karlie Kloss and Elton John
Lock
3 Mundane Tasks You Should Automate to Save Your Brain for the Big Stuff
Lock
The Next Time Someone Intimidates You, Here's What You Should Do
5 Ways to Manage Your Mental Health and Regulate Your Nervous System for Sustainable Success

Related Topics

Fundraising

Working Remote? These Are the Biggest Dos and Don'ts of Video Conferencing

As more and more businesses go remote, these are ways to be more effective and efficient on conference calls.

Growing a Business

The Best Way to Run a Business Meeting

All too often, meetings run longer than they should and fail to keep attendees engaged. Here's how to run a meeting the right way.

Business News

Amazon Might Soon Be Adding Ads to Prime Video

The company wants to generate more ad revenue for its streaming service.

Business News

'I Am Just Floored': Woman Discovers She Won $1 Million Lottery Prize While Checking Her Email at Work

Initially, she thought the email was a scam, but went to lottery headquarters and walked away with a six-figure check after taxes.

Leadership

How to Identify and Handle Toxic Business Leadership

Toxic business leaders are the danger of modern corporate life. Unfortunately, they may hide behind good reputations. Let's discuss four signs of toxic leadership and strategies to deal with it.

Business News

South Park Creators Spent 'Infinity Dollars' Renovating Iconic Colorado Restaurant, Set to Reopen Soon

Casa Bonita, a long-time favorite of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, went bankrupt during the pandemic. The duo purchased and painstakingly renovated the Mexican spot "like a piece of art," Stone said.