The question whether or not seventeenthcentury painters such as Rembrandt and Rubens created the paintings which were later sold under their names, has caused many a heated debate. Much is still unknown about the ways in which paintings were produced, assessed, priced, and marketed. For example, did contemporary connoisseurs expect masters such as Rembrandt to paint their works entirely by their own hand? Who was credited with the ability to assess paintings? How did a painting's price relate to its quality? And how did connoisseurship change as the art market became increasingly complex? The contributors to this essential volume trace the evolution of connoisseurship in the booming art market of the seventeenth- and eighteenth centuries. Among them are the renowned Golden Age scholars Eric Jan Sluijter, Hans Van Miegroet and Neil De Marchi. It is not to be missed by anyone with an interest in the Old Masters and the early modern art market.


Eye of the Connoisseur

by Anna Tummers

Published 14 October 2011
Attributing old master paintings is one of the most demanding tasks of the art historian. The stakes can be high, especially when the work in question might indeed be the hand of a great master. The difference in price between an authentic work and one 'in the manner of' a well-known artist can add up to several million dollars. In addition to the fi nancial consequences, a revised attribution can also have dramatic consequences for our understanding of art history. In her fascinating account of connoisseurship in action, Tummers highlights issues regarding the attribution of seventheenth-century Dutch and Flemish art.