Portrait of a Seated Woman with a Handkerchief
Portrait of a Seated Woman with a Handkerchief is a painting at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Today it is attributed to Carel Fabritius, but was previously considered a work by Rembrandt. The work was sold in 1845 as part of the auction of the collection of Joseph Cardinal Fesch. It was later in the collection of Sir George Holford of Dorchester House, London. It was sold alongside the rest of the collection at Christie's in 1928. While still attributed to Rembrandt it was bought at auction by the Eaton's corporation for 30,000 Guineas. The company displayed the portrait at their College Park store and later at stores in Montreal and Winnipeg; at the time the only Rembrandt on public display in Canada. It was later moved to one of the private rooms of the College Street building and was then given as a retirement present to R.Y. Eaton. He loaned the painting to the Art Gallery of Toronto and his widow donated it in 1966. In 1959, it was one of six works stolen from the gallery. The thieves targeted the most valuable works also taking the Portrait of Isaak Abrahamsz. Massa and Rembrandt's Portrait of a Lady with a Lap Dog. Then still believed to be a Rembrandt, Woman with a Handkerchief had the highest value of those stolen according to the gallery's insurance. The painting is signed "Rembrandt f. 1644" and this signature was long accepted as valid. It is today known that there are many works with Rembrandt signatures that were faked.
painting by Carel Fabritius
painting