LONDON, June 30 (Reuters) - Two rediscovered Rembrandts, the last known pair of portraits by the Dutch master to have remained in private hands, could fetch around $10 million at auction next week.
Signed and dated 1635, the depictions of married couple Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and Jaapgen Carels, who were close to the artist's family, have a price estimate of 5 million - 8 million pounds ($6.35 million - $10.16 million).
"They are things of extraordinary rarity,” he said, adding the Amsterdam-based Rijksmuseum had analysed them.
The portraits are among the highlights of Christie's July 6 "Old Masters Part I Sale", part of the auction house's Classic Week.
Also on offer is a panel by Greek-born Spanish Renaissance painter El Greco, "The Entombment of Christ" (6 million - 8 million pounds) and a bust of Helen of Troy by neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova (2.5 million - 4 million pounds).
Persons:
Jan Willemsz van der, Jaapgen Carels, “, they’ve, Henry Pettifer, ”, El Greco, Helen of Troy, Antonio Canova, Fra Angelico, Saint John the, Magdalen, Queen Charlotte, King George III's, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Barbara Lewis
Organizations:
Christie’s, International, Reuters, Virgin, Saint John the Baptist, Thomson
Locations:
Amsterdam, Spanish, Bayreuth