Alongside other important works by Rembrandt (1606-1669), the Berlin Gemäldegalerie owns his masterpiece “Susanna and the Two Old Men” (1647). Recent studies of the painting have produced spectacular new findings. We spoke about the discoveries with Katja Kleinert, research assistant, and Claudia Laurenze-Landsberg, conservator at the Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (SMB). The latest results of their […]
Alongside other important works by Rembrandt (1606-1669), the Berlin Gemäldegalerie owns his masterpiece “Susanna and the Two Old Men” (1647). Recent studies of the painting have produced spectacular new findings. We spoke about the discoveries with Katja Kleinert, research assistant, and Claudia Laurenze-Landsberg, conservator at the Gemäldegalerie der Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin (SMB).
From March 3 to May 31, 2015, the Berlin Gemäldegalerie and the Kupferstichkabinett (SMB) are presenting the latest results of their examination of the Dutch artist Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn in the exhibition “Rembrandt’s Berlin Susanna and the Two Old Men. The creation of a masterpiece”. What exactly did you find out?
Kleinert: Rembrandt worked on the Berlin “Susanna” for more than a decade and created three different versions of the depiction during this time. This was already known and documented by the Rembrandt Research Project. Now, however, it is possible to reconstruct the three versions in detail. In addition, in collaboration with the Kupferstichkabinett, it has now been possible to reassess the time when work on the painting began. The first composition must have been created around 1635 rather than 1638. What was previously completely unknown and truly spectacular is the discovery that the work was extensively reworked again in the 18th century.
How did you track down this sensation?
Kleinert : The decisive clue came from a reproduction engraving by Richard Earlom (1743-1822) from 1769. The original is kept in the Kupferstichkabinett (SMB). The sheet documents the version of the picture that Rembrandt left to posterity in the 17th century. A comparison with the present-day work reveals how much more differentiated the painterly execution of the painting must originally have been. As a result, it was possible to correlate existing art technological results, which proved that parts of the painting had clearly been reworked at a later date.
Laurenze-Landsberg: ” Earlom’s reproduction engraving was a relief for me. I had already examined the panel painting with a stereomicroscope before I became aware of it. The separation of the paint layers and chipped areas revealed beautiful, precisely executed details that had been very roughly painted over. At the time, however, I still assumed that Rembrandt had reworked the painting and was confused by the master’s superficial, less meticulous way of working.
What investigations did you then carry out to investigate the suspicion of a later intervention by a third party?
Laurenze-Landsberg: In addition to the neutron autoradiographs, we also analyzed the X-ray, infrared and grazing light images and examined the image stereoscopically. The image carrier is a sugar box wood which, contrary to previous assumptions, is not made of mahogany but amaranth. The sugar trade flourished in Amsterdam in the 17th century.
You assume that the later overpaintings are by the English painter Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792). What supports this theory?
Kleinert : The provenance of Rembrandt’s Berlin “Susanna” is very well documented. Two painters had the panel in their possession. Sir Joshua Reynolds was one of them. He owned the painting for a particularly long time. We also know that Reynolds was interested in old painting techniques. And that he often worked on other people’s works and altered or corrected them to suit his own taste. He was also not afraid to remove paint in order to study the working methods and techniques of other artists. By looking at the original together with English colleagues from the Reynolds Research Project, the painting technique could then be clearly attributed to Reynolds.
Laurenze-Landsberg: The neutron autoradiography supports this thesis. It shows intense blackening caused by the antimony isotope SB-124. Since no tin can be detected at the same time, the antimony-containing pigment must be Naples yellow. It came into increasing use from the middle of the 18th century. Elsewhere, the paint layer is swollen, which indicates the use of copaiva balsam. This is a resin that was used to “freshen up” paintings. It is known that Reynolds used it as a binding agent.
How do you assess the reworkings today?
Kleinert: There are examples of even more far-reaching interventions that raise the question of the extent to which one can still speak of an original masterpiece. The Berlin “Susanna and the Two Old Men” is a painting that has been altered at a later date and must be declared accordingly. But it remains a Rembrandt.
The interview was conducted by Britta Grigull.
More on Rembrandt’s drawings, the biblical Susanna theme and the corresponding Berlin exhibition in RESTAURO 2/2015.
