The Man with the Golden Helmet: The Rembrandt That Never Was (c. 1650)
For most of the twentieth century, this painting fooled everyone twice over. First, experts believed it showed Rembrandt's own brother. Then they believed Rembrandt himself had painted it. Neither claim survived the century intact. Quick facts Artist: Circle of Rembrandt (formerly attributed to Rembrandt van Rijn) Date: c. 1650 Medium: Oil on canvas (67.5 x 50.7 cm) Collection: Gemaldegalerie, Berlin Notable fact: Bought in 1897 as a newly discovered Rembrandt; the attribution was formally withdrawn in 1986 after a multi-year technical investigation Circle of Rembrandt, The Man with the Golden Helmet, c. 1650. Oil on canvas. Gemaldegalerie, Berlin. Public domain. A Face Swallowed by Shadow An old soldier sits half-turned from us, his features almost lost in darkness. What the light picks out instead is the helmet: an extravagant, fantastical thing bristling with earpieces, a feathered plume, and medallions hammered into the gold, each catching a different angle of the same l...