In 1635, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn was at the height of his popularity. That's when he painted portraits of Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife Jaapgen Caerlsdr. In fact, he painted two portraits of each of them, in different sizes. Rembrandt may have done it as a favor or gift, as his cousin was married to the couple's son. In any case, all four portraits were sold by van der Pluym's descendants in 1760. The larger portraits are well-known, but the miniature portraits have only recently been discovered, and have been authenticated.
The authentication process involved various infrared and x-ray examinations plus a paint sample analysis. The identities of the subjects were studied scrupulously. This work was carried out by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where the portraits are on exhibit now on loan from the owners. Get the story and see these paintings up close at My Modern Met.
(Image credit: Rijksmuseum/Olivier Middendorp)