18th century Follower of Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn

This portrait relates a painting currently in the Frick Collection, New York, that was previously attributed to Rembrandt.¹ The Frick portrait is now believed to be by a follower of Rembrandt and its sitter also remains anonymous: it has been variously identified as several of Rembrandt's contemporaries, including Leonaert Bramer, Carel Fabritius, Jan van de Cappelle, and Jan Asselyn.

The first owner of the Frick portrait was Jacques-André-Joseph Aved (1702 - 1766), also called le Camelot and Avet le Batave, a French Rococo artist specializing in portraiture. It is possible, though not possible to prove, that Aved made a copy of the portrait he owned and that the present lot is Aved's copy. The handling of this portrait is smoother than that of any of Rembrandt's known followers, and French 18th century artists frequently copied artists of the previous century.

1. https://collections.frick.org/objects/240/portrait-of-a-young-artist?ctx=779ee71d-69b3-4406-b172-d9e0e263f8e3&idx=15