Overview
- Rijksmuseum researchers used macro-XRF scanning, radiography, infrared reflectography and microscopic study to match pigments, preparatory layers and brushwork to Rembrandt’s known practice.
- Dendrochronology dated the oak panel to a usable range of 1625–1644, aligning with the painting’s inscribed year of 1633.
- Imaging revealed compositional revisions characteristic of an original work, and the museum confirmed the signature is authentic.
- Comparative evidence indicates a related Berlin version depends on the Amsterdam painting, with a Louvre drawing reflecting an earlier stage of the composition.
- Deattributed in 1960 and bought by a private collector in 1961, the work returns to view at the Rijksmuseum on long-term loan starting Wednesday.