The RembrandtOpen Impression Project

Claims and evidence

The whole record, and where it is weakest

18 active claims, 5 pieces of evidence, and an honest account of how thin the foundation currently is. This page exists so that nobody has to take the object record on trust.

Audit

Computed from the data, not written by hand. It cannot flatter the record.

Claims by confidence

Confirmed
3
Strongly supported
1
Probable
5
Possible
5
Disputed
0
Rejected
0
Unknown
4

Source coverage

94%

17 of 18 active claims cite at least one piece of evidence. The build refuses to compile a claim whose confidence exceeds the tier of its strongest source.

Claims resting only on weak evidence

Their strongest source is an unreviewed submission or a market listing — tiers 7 and 8 of 8. They are the first things a reviewer should look at.

Every active claim

In record order, each with its evidence, its confidence and what would change it.

Artist

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606–1669)

Probable

The attribution here is the auction house's. The project does not itself attribute, and it does not treat an auction attribution as settled. What is being claimed at 'probable' is that the sheet is an impression from Rembrandt's plate; the question of when it was printed is separate and open.

  • 5Auction catalogueAuction catalogue entry for the lot as offered, Bonhams New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request
  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisAn examination by a specialist in Old Master prints concluding that the sheet is a later restrike from Rembrandt's plate, a reproduction after the composition, or a copy by another hand. Any of these would keep the composition and change the object.

CL-ARTISTStated by Bonhams, as cataloguerAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Title

Self-Portrait in a Velvet Cap with Plume

Probable

Titles of Rembrandt's etchings are conventions applied by cataloguers, not by Rembrandt. Different catalogues and print rooms use different ones for the same plate. The census records each institution's own title verbatim rather than imposing one.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisAlignment with the title used in the New Hollstein catalogue and by the major print rooms, which may differ.

CL-TITLEAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Date of the plate

1638

Probable

This is the date Rembrandt worked the plate. It is NOT the date this sheet was printed. The two can be separated by decades or centuries, and separating them is the central open question about this object.

  • 5Auction catalogueAuction catalogue entry for the lot as offered, Bonhams New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request
  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisNothing likely; the date of the plate is well established in the literature for this composition.

CL-DATEStated by Bonhams, as cataloguerAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Date of printing of this sheet

Unknown

Unknown

The single most consequential unknown about this sheet. Rembrandt's plates continued to be printed long after his death. Until the paper is examined, this record makes no claim about when the impression was pulled.

  • 1Physical observationNo conservator examination has taken place · 2026-08-12

What would change thisIdentification of the paper's watermark against a dated reference; chain-line measurement compared against dated impressions; assessment of plate wear against securely dated impressions in institutional collections.

CL-PRINTING-DATEAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Catalogue reference (Bartsch)

Bartsch 20

Probable
  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisDirect comparison of the composition against the Bartsch entry and against institutional records carrying the same number.

CL-CATREF-BARTSCHAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Catalogue reference (New Hollstein)

New Hollstein 170

Probable

New Hollstein is the current standard catalogue for this material and its numbering is what a print room will expect. Verifying this number is a prerequisite for the census being coherent.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisConsultation of the New Hollstein Rembrandt volumes themselves. The project does not currently hold a copy.

CL-CATREF-NHAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Medium

Etching, possibly with drypoint

Possible

The working record says 'etching and drypoint'. Whether drypoint is present on this plate, and whether burr survives in this particular impression, are two different questions — the second is a wear indicator and bears directly on when the sheet was printed.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisExamination under magnification for the burr characteristic of drypoint, by a conservator or print specialist.

CL-MEDIUMAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Support

Laid paper

Possible

European paper of this period is overwhelmingly laid, so the claim is unsurprising — but it is currently an assumption, not an observation, and it is recorded at that level.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisTransmitted-light examination showing chain and laid lines, which would confirm laid paper and give measurable chain-line spacing.

CL-SUPPORTAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Watermark

Not yet examined

Unknown
  • 1Physical observationNo conservator examination has taken place · 2026-08-12

What would change thisTransmitted-light imaging. A trimmed sheet may carry only a fragment of a watermark, or none at all — a null result here is a real result and will be recorded as one.

CL-WATERMARKAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

State

Recorded as state III, without signature

Possible

The working record describes this as 'state III of IV'. The number of states recognised for this plate should be taken from the standard catalogue rather than from the acquisition paperwork; see RQ-02. Until that check is done, this record states what the source said and marks it as a report, not a determination.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08
  • 5Auction catalogueAuction catalogue entry for the lot as offered, Bonhams New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request

What would change thisComparison of the diagnostic features of this impression against the state descriptions in the standard catalogue and against dated institutional impressions.

CL-STATEStated by Working record, following the acquisition documentationAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Dimensions

Approximately 137 × 104 mm

Possible

The working record does not say whether this is the plate mark or the sheet. Because the sheet is described as trimmed, the distinction matters: a trimmed sheet can be smaller than the plate. Both measurements will be recorded separately once taken.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08

What would change thisRemeasurement under a conservation protocol, recording plate mark and sheet separately, to the millimetre, with the measuring convention stated.

CL-DIMENSIONSAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Condition summary

Trimmed at the left margin; wrinkling and dampstaining at lower left, extending partly into the image; unmounted at purchase

Possible

Condition language from a sale catalogue is written to describe a lot, not to document an object. It is preserved verbatim where possible and will be superseded, not overwritten, when a conservator's report exists.

  • 8Unreviewed submissionOwner's working object record, assembled 2026 · Owner / steward · 2026-08
  • 5Auction catalogueAuction catalogue entry for the lot as offered, Bonhams New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request

What would change thisA condition report by a paper conservator, which would replace this summary field by field and add severity, extent and stability assessments this record cannot make.

CL-CONDITION-SUMMARYStated by Working record, following the acquisition documentationAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Collector marks and inscriptions

None recorded; verso not yet examined

Unknown

The absence of a record is not a record of absence. Nothing has been examined.

  • 1Physical observationNo conservator examination has taken place · 2026-08-12

What would change thisVerso photography. Collector marks, dealer codes and pencil inscriptions are the most common route into a print's earlier ownership, and they are usually on the back.

CL-MARKSAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Acquisition

Bonhams, New York, 2023

Strongly supported

This is the best-evidenced fact on the page, because it is the only one backed by a primary document the project actually holds.

  • 2Primary documentBonhams invoice and purchase documentation, New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request

What would change thisNothing — the transaction is documented by invoice. The sale name, date and lot number still need to be transcribed into this record.

CL-ACQUISITIONStated by OwnerAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Current custody

Private collection, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Confirmed

Stated at city level by policy. Storage location, address, security arrangements and insurance values are not published and are not held in this database. See the security and privacy policy.

  • 2Primary documentBonhams invoice and purchase documentation, New York, 2023 · Bonhams · 2023on request

CL-CUSTODYStated by OwnerAdded 2026-08-12Verified 2026-08-12

Ownership before 2023

Unknown

Unknown

Roughly 385 years are unaccounted for between the plate being worked and the 2023 sale. The provenance timeline shows this as an explicit gap rather than beginning the story in 2023.

What would change thisA consignor's name from the auction house, a collector's mark on the verso, an old mount or backing board, a dealer's stock number, or an appearance in an earlier sale catalogue.

CL-EARLIER-PROVENANCEAdded 2026-08-12Not independently verified

Image rights

No images of this impression are published

Confirmed

The underlying work is in the public domain. Photographs of it do not exist yet. When they do, the licence for each derivative will be stated on the image itself.

CL-RIGHTS-IMAGESStated by ProjectAdded 2026-08-12Verified 2026-08-12

Every piece of evidence

Grouped by tier. Tier is a property of the source and is independent of whether the project likes what the source says.
1Physical observationtier 1 of 8 · Physical observation

  • No conservator examination has taken place

    EV-NO-CONSERVATOR

    2026-08-12

    Recorded as an explicit negative so that the absence is visible in the record rather than inferred from silence. No paper conservator has examined the sheet, and no technical imaging has been carried out.

    Cited by: Date of printing of this sheet, Watermark, Collector marks and inscriptions, Image rights

2Primary documenttier 2 of 8 · Primary document

  • Bonhams invoice and purchase documentation, New York, 2023

    EV-ACQ-INVOICE

    Bonhams · 2023available on request

    The invoice carries the buyer's name and delivery address. A copy redacted to show only the sale name, sale number, date and lot number can be supplied to a scholar or institution on request.

    This is the strongest document the project currently holds about the sheet. It has not yet been transcribed into the record field by field; doing so is the first item on the editorial queue.

    Cited by: Acquisition, Current custody

  • Rights and licensing policy of this project

    EV-PROJECT-POLICY

    The Rembrandt Open Impression Project · 2026-08-12

    The project's own published statement of the terms it releases its material under. It is primary evidence for claims about licensing and for nothing else.

    Cited by: Metadata rights, Image rights

5Auction cataloguetier 5 of 8 · Auction catalogue

  • Auction catalogue entry for the lot as offered, Bonhams New York, 2023

    EV-ACQ-CATALOGUE

    Bonhams · 2023available on request

    The published lot page has not yet been located in the house's online archive. See research question RQ-08.

    An auction catalogue is a working attribution by a cataloguer under time pressure, not a scholarly determination. It is recorded here as a source, and its statements are carried as claims at the confidence the source supports — no higher.

    Cited by: Artist, Date of the plate, State, Condition summary

8Unreviewed submissiontier 8 of 8 · Unreviewed submission

  • Owner's working object record, assembled 2026

    EV-WORKING-RECORD

    Owner / steward · 2026-08

    A compilation by the owner from acquisition paperwork and prior reading. It is the weakest tier in the hierarchy deliberately: it is a report of documents rather than the documents themselves. Every field derived from it is marked as such until checked against a primary source.

    Cited by: Artist, Title, Date of the plate, Catalogue reference (Bartsch), Catalogue reference (New Hollstein), Medium, Support, State, Dimensions, Condition summary

Superseded claims

Nothing is deleted from this record. When a claim is replaced it is deprecated and kept, so the history of the mistake survives alongside the correction.

None yet — the record is one day old. When the first correction lands it will appear here, and the claim it replaced will stay readable. The changelog already records two discrepancies found on the first day.

The confidence scale

How confidence is recorded

Confirmed
Established by direct primary evidence that has been examined, with no competing evidence outstanding.
Strongly supported
Supported by more than one independent source of good quality; no source contradicts it.
Probable
Supported by a single good source, or by convergent weaker sources; a competing reading is possible but not currently evidenced.
Possible
Consistent with the available evidence but not demonstrated. Held as a working hypothesis.
Disputed
Competing claims are supported by sources of comparable weight, and the conflict is unresolved.
Rejected
Evidence has been examined and the claim does not hold. Retained so the dead end is not repeated.
Unknown
Not yet investigated, or investigated without result.

Confidence describes the quality of the evidence and nothing else. It is not a measure of how much the project would like a claim to be true, and it cannot be raised without adding a source — the build refuses a claim that outranks the evidence under it.