Paladin Pictures Production for BBC Television
At
the beginning of the century there were 1,000 paintings by Rembrandt in existence.
Now there are less than 300. They disappeared not through thefts, fires or acts
of God. Their numbers have shrunk because of the controversial process of attribution
that began in the 1960's when the Dutch government began the Rembrandt Research
Project.
The Vanishing Rembrandts shows the sleuthing methods of these scientists and art historians. X-rays and laboratory examinations are bringing new evidence to the formerly subjective tradition of connoisseurship. By and large, what is revealed is not that there were conscious fakes or copies, but that many worthy and remarkable paintings were made by students of the master and misattributed in the 18th century.
Inevitably, the findings of the project are controversial, especially when the objects disputed are valued at millions of dollars and form part of a nation's cultural heritage and wealth. The film brings us opinions of art dealers and collectors, academics and scientists, including Christopher Brown from the National Gallery, The Duke of Westminster, Professor Julius Held and Walter Liedtke from New York's Metropolitan Museum.
College Art Association, 1994
52 min. Video or DVD. Sale $295. Video rental $75.
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