A giant, prehistoric squid with tentacles so formidable has entered the news cycle that it has sucked the brains right out of writers’ heads. Laelaps blogger Brian Switek explains why the self-portrait crafting “kraken” is high on speculation and low on scientific merit.

Wired Top Stories

Because the auction house did not see the portrait to be anything but a knockoff of a 17th century Rembrandt, the price was set at only $3,100. Paying 1,500 times more than that was a British buyer who apparently knew what he was doing at the time. An English auction house sold the Rembrandt Laughing, which experts authenticated to be a self portrait done by the Dutch master depicted with his head tilted back in easygoing laughter, for a bargain price of four and a half million.

One collector specializing in Dutch and Flemish masters was surprised that the piece did not go for a higher price at the auction because such artwork could have easily went for $30 to $40 million.It was according to the art expert from Sotheby’s that the value of the painting could not be changed. When it comes to the works of Rembrandt they only come on the market every couple of years so this is such a rare opportunity. Further information on Photo To Painting can be found there.

In his hometown of Leiden was where Rembrandt painted the self portrait and he was in his early 20s then in 1628. Expressions became his focus during this time when he was already earning his reputation as an artist and he made use of a mirror and his face. You could say that it has an unbelievable presence. It was the light as well as the laughter which were in their most natural form.

About 100 years was how long the painting had been in the possession of an English family. Either it was one of Rembrandt’s students or it was his imitator. When it comes to the low evaluation given by the auction house, to blame are poor photographs that may have shown little of the painting’s luminosity or depth. There was a 23 page analysis that supports the claim that Rembrandt was indeed the creator of the art work when the brush stroke, monogram, contour, and materials all point to him.

Considering the rare style used by the artist for a year or so, the winner of the auction might have known that the painting was a genuine Rembrandt from the monogram RHL. For the monogram, it meant Rembrandt Harmenszoon of Leiden. What the auction house recorded in its assessment was the signature HL. More convincing are these initials for they were painted onto the background and the direction of the brush strokes match another one of Rembrandt’s monograms. For top-quality resources on Photos To Painting make sure to visit them.

When it comes to the shape of the body of the laughing Rembrandt the experts were baffled. There was little definition of the anatomy below other than it having a woolly blanket for clothing, lying in lumpy folds, and the metal armor and glossy shirt appearing amorphous. In his other works he also used the same distinct contour he applied here. It is possible that Rembrandt was trying out a new way of painting the body for the contour had a certain autonomy to it.

When it comes to the thin copper plate on which the piece is painted, it matches the size and type of others used in the paintings of Rembrandt. When it comes to the xrays, the piece has a second painting underneath and this is consistent with other paintings by Rembrandt. Before 1800 no one knew where the painting had been and during this time a Flemish engraver did not realize that the face in the picture was Rembrandt’s when he made a reproductive print and he attributed the original to the Dutch painter Frans Hals. What followed was silence and then the painting was again lost.

When it comes to the portrait, the price was set by the auction house at $3,100 because it looked like a knockoff of a 17th century Rembrandt. There was actually a British buyer who knew what he was doing when he paid 1,500 times more than that. An English auction house sold the Rembrandt Laughing, which experts authenticated to be a self portrait done by the Dutch master depicted with his head tilted back in easygoing laughter, for a bargain price of four and a half million.

The price charged by the auction for the artwork was pretty small compared to its value amounting to $30 or $40 million as mentioned by a collector whose specialty is in Dutch and Flemish masters and he was surprised that the price did not reach a higher amount. What the art expert from Sotheby’s declined to do was to put a new price on the particular painting. When it comes to the works of Rembrandt they only come on the market every couple of years so this is such a rare opportunity. Further information on Photos Into Paintings can be found there.

In his hometown of Leiden was where Rembrandt painted the self portrait and he was in his early 20s then in 1628. It was his experimentation with expressions that made him use a mirror and his face at a time when he was already making a name for himself as an artist. A staggering presence is what it has. The light has the most natural quality of light you can think of and I love the naturalness of the laughing.

The painting previously had been in the hands of an English family for more than 100 years. Based on assumptions it could have been an imitator or a student of Rembrandt’s.Showing only a little of the painting’s luminosity or depth, poor photographs could have been the reasons why the auction house came up with a low evaluation.In the little work of art, everything from the contour to the brush strokes, monogram, and materials pointed to Rembrandt and this was shown in a 23 page analysis.

Considering the rare style used by the artist for a year or so, the winner of the auction might have known that the painting was a genuine Rembrandt from the monogram RHL. When it comes to the monogram, it stood for Rembrandt Harmenszoon of Leiden. The signature HL was recorded by the auction house for its assessment. Even more convincing are these initials that are painted onto the background and possess the same directionality in brush strokes as the other monograms identified with Rembrandt. For top-quality resources on Photos To Oil Paintings make sure to visit them.

Mystifying the experts was the shape of the body of the laughing Rembrandt. When it comes to the piece, there was a woolly blanket for clothing, the metal armor and glossy shirt appeared amorphous, it lay in lumpy folds, and there was little description of the anatomy underneath. It was in this work in particular where he used a distinct contour he would later use in his other works. When it comes to the contour there is a certain autonomy to it and this must be because Rembrandt was trying out this particular way of painting the body for the first time.

Similar to that of the other Rembrandt paintings, the thin copper plate on which the piece is painted matches the size and type. Rembrandt’s paintings all have a second painting underneath and this is what the xrays have revealed for this particular painting. People could not give an exact location for the painting before 1800 and there was a time when a Flemish engraver attributed the original to the Dutch painter Frans Hals after making a reproductive print as he did not recognize that the face in the picture was Rembrandt’s. After that there is silence about the painting, we don’t know where it stayed.