Focus on The Preacher Eleazar Swalmius and explain the Details.
The painting is signed Rembrandt. f 1637 in the recto's top right corner. The f stands for fecit. As early as 1969, Gerson wrote that the signature did not seem original. Because the painting also seemed "too tame" (tame, not expressive enough) to him, he attributed the work to Rembrandt's pupil Govert Flinck. Curator Jeroen Giltaij wrote that indeed little of Rembrandt's strength was visible in the painting, and that the beard was rather sketchy. However, Giltaij could not say whether it was Flinck who made the work. Upon restoration, the thick yellow layer of varnish turned out to be the main culprit. This layer prevented spectators from appreciating the nuances in the preacher's pink skin tones and black clothes. After the restoration, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp invited Rembrandt expert Ernst van de Wetering to study and assess the painting. He was of the opinion that, contrary to what Gerson originally claimed, the painting is a real Rembrandt. This is the accepted conclusion at the moment. Due to doubts over its authenticity, the work was in storage for a long time. After confirmation by Van de Wetering, the KMSKA decided that the work was to be given a permanent spot in the museum's collection upon the reopening of the former.
Royal Museum of Fine Arts Govert Flinck Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp Antwerp Rembrandt Ernst van de Wetering