A new Rembrandt discovered

The painting depicts a biblical scene: in the temple, the high priest Zacharias receives an unexpected visit from the archangel Gabriel. Gabriel tells him that he and his wife, despite their old age, will have a son: John the Baptist. Zacharias’ astonished expression reveals his disbelief.

Vision of Zacharias in the Temple was shown at the major Rembrandt exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam in 1898. In 1960, however, it was excluded from Rembrandt’s oeuvre. A year later, a private collector purchased the work, after which it disappeared from public view. Only recently did the current owner contact the Rijksmuseum, allowing the painting to be examined again after 65 years.

The two-year investigation shows that all the pigments used also appear in other paintings by Rembrandt from the same period. The build-up of the paint layers and the handling are likewise consistent with his early work.

The painting is executed on two oak panels from trees grown in the south-east of Lithuania, a common wood source in the seventeenth century. The dimensions and construction correspond to panels Rembrandt frequently used. Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) confirms that the inscribed date “1633” is plausible.

Advanced X-ray techniques (MA-XRF) were used to analyse the pigments. The materials Rembrandt employed in other works, such as lead white, ochre, bone black and lead-tin yellow, are also present in this painting.

An important piece of evidence that the painting is by Rembrandt lies in the changes he made during the painting process. For example, the censer on the altar was originally larger. Such adjustments are characteristic of an artist who is experimenting and refining his work. A copyist, by contrast, would have reproduced the model exactly, without making alterations.

The signature and date were also examined. The inscription “Rembrandt f. 1633” displays the same letter forms and painting technique as other accepted works from this period. Microscopic and infrared research shows that the signature was applied into wet paint and partially integrated into the background, indicating that both signature and date are original.

Stylistically, the painting closely relates to Rembrandt’s Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem (1630). The dark background, the light and the intense facial expression show clear similarities. The paint handling, including the small raised highlights in lead tin yellow and the loose brushwork in the fabrics, also corresponds to Rembrandt’s manner in these years.

Rembrandt gave the biblical story an innovative twist. Instead of depicting the Archangel Gabriel visibly, he only suggested his presence. In doing so, he departed from established visual traditions and introduced a new way of representing this subject.

Rembrandt deliberately chose the decisive moment: just before Gabriel reveals his true identity. Such a dramatic turning point, a sudden reversal in situation and mood, was known in his time as a staetveranderinge, a device he frequently used in his most moving early paintings.

It is one of the few history paintings Rembrandt created during this period. At the time, he was primarily producing portraits, which were highly lucrative. This discovery allows us to gain an even deeper understanding of the young Rembrandt.