Incredible 17th century painting originally valued at $14k sells for $14 MILLION at Sotheby's auction after collectors uncovered stunning secret

An incredible 17th-century painting, originally valued at $14,000 two years ago, was sold for nearly $14 million at a Sotheby's auction after collectors uncovered a stunning secret about it.

The oil painting named The Adoration of The Kings was estimated to be worth between $10,600 and $15,900 in 2021 when Christie's attributed the work to someone in Rembrandt's circle, putting it up for sale in Amsterdam. 

But Sotheby's ultimately determined the work to be a real Rembrandt at its auction in December of last year, as the price soared to $13.8 million only two years after the last sale.

During an extensive examination that lasted for 20 months, experts employed X-ray analysis and infrared imaging and consulted with multiple leading Rembrandt scholars.

As some bidders remained unconvinced, no one bid at the auction on December 6. But the painting had been backed by a secret guarantor at a price of $13.8 million.

The oil painting named The Adoration of The Kings, originally valued at $14,000 two years ago, was sold for nearly $14 million at a Sotheby's auction after collectors uncovered a stunning secret about it

 Sotheby's ultimately determined the work to be a real Rembrandt at its auction in December (pictured) of last year, as the price soared to $13.8 million only two years after the last sale

The buyer had agreed to pay the price ahead of the December auction, which meant the painting would be awarded to them if no higher bids were placed. 

The small-scale painting measured 9.6 x 7.3 inches first came to light in 1955 when it was obtained by J.C.H. Heldring in Amsterdam, according to the 62-page catalog from Sotheby's. 

The 'extraordinary fine specimen of the master' was exhibited as a real Rembrandts in the 1950s, until a German art historian, Kurt Bauch, challenged the authorship in 1960. The auction house said it's because Bauch only looked at a photograph of the painting. 

After Heldring's widow died in 1985, Adoration came back on the market when Christie's listed it as by someone from the circle of Rembrandt. A German family acquired it at the time. 

In Christie's catalog from 2021, the painting was believed to be from an apprentice or friend of the Dutch master. It was sold at $992,000. 

After extensive research, Sotheby's determined the painting to be a rediscovered Rembrandt in October 2023, calling the monochromatic piece 'a work of great significance in the artist's early career.' 

'This long-overlooked painting is a significant addition to Rembrandt's painted œuvre. It is in equal measure a product of his brush and his intellect,' the auction house wrote in the catalog. 

'Most likely executed circa 1628, infrared imaging reveals numerous changes in the composition as Rembrandt worked and reworked the scene, using a sharp point - possibly an etcher’s burin - to bring out the full potential of the subject.' 

During an extensive examination that lasted for 20 months, experts employed X-ray analysis and infrared imaging and consulted with multiple leading Rembrandt scholars

The small-scale painting measured 9.6 x 7.3 inches first came to light in 1955 when it was obtained by J.C.H. Heldring in Amsterdam, according to the 62-page catalog from Sotheby's

Debates persisted, with some experts coming forward to question the dizzying sale of the painting

George Gordon, the global co-chairman of Old Master paintings at Sotheby's said: 'All the hallmarks of his style in the late 1620s are evident both in the visible painted surface and in the underlying layers revealed by science.' 

Gordon told the New York Times that the lack of bids did not diminish his confidence in the attribution. 

But debates persisted, with some experts coming forward to warn the auction house about the dizzying sale of the painting. 

Jorgen Wadum, who worked at the Mauritshuis in The Hague and was the head of conservation at the national gallery of Denmark, wrote a letter to Sotheby's on the day of the sale. 

In the letter, he noted 'significant discrepancies' between Adoration and 'early and authenticated Rembrandt paintings. 

'I felt compelled to write and warn the auction house. If you bought the painting on the basis of what Sotheby' stated, you would simply be cheated,' he wrote. 

Wadum said lines in a part of Adoration that Sotheby's had described as 'marked out rapidly with a sharp point,' were too straight and edgy.

'The technique and application of paint suggest an artist working in the style of Rembrandt, yet constructing the scene differently,' he wrote

Gordon told the New York Times that the lack of bids did not diminish his confidence in the attribution

He said lines in a part of Adoration that Sotheby's had described as 'marked out rapidly with a sharp point,' were too straight and edgy. 

It lacked 'the small curls or hooks seen repeatedly in Rembrandt's scratches - and drawings,' he said. 

'The technique and application of paint suggest an artist working in the style of Rembrandt, yet constructing the scene differently,' he wrote.  

Christie's also stood by its own attribution, saying the auction house had discussed with 'leading independent Rembrandt experts.' 

'It was not accepted as being an autograph work and was offered accordingly as from the circle of Rembrandt. We understand that this remains the prevailing view,' Christie's said in a statement.