Two Rembrandt portraits in focus: assessing a potential relationship

This study presents a comparative technical analysis of Portrait of a 39-Year-Old Woman (The Nivaagaard Collection, Denmark) and Portrait of a Man (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA), two oval-format paintings by Rembrandt that were previously proposed as pendants. The paintings were examined and analyzed non-invasively focusing on materials, technique and condition. While both paintings have similar supports and pigments consistent with 17th-century practice, differences were identified in the application of vermilion and the use of smalt, and in the signatures and inscriptions. The woman’s portrait has undergone alterations and additions, while the man’s portrait has remained in an unaltered condition. This research contributes new comparative data on Rembrandt paintings from the early 1630s and highlights the value of technical examination in assessing early 17th-century Dutch portraits.