Restoration of a 17th-century painting has confirmed it as an authentic Rembrandt and uncovered that a turban on one figure had been painted over with a traditional Dutch soft cap, altering the artist's original depiction of diversity.
Discovery and Restoration
The painting, titled Let The Little Children Come Unto Me, was discovered in 2014 at a German auction, catalogued as an anonymous “Netherlandish 17th-century painting.” After extensive restoration, layers of overpaint were removed, revealing Rembrandt's original composition, which included a turbaned man and a naked child in the foreground, among other details.
Alex Bell, chair emeritus of Sotheby’s UK, stated: “It was made into a more traditional, conventional treatment of the subject by the later over-painting, the original having a more diverse cast of characters, including the prominent, turbaned figure in the middle.”
Historical Context and Message of Tolerance
Rembrandt painted the work in 1627, during a period of significant refugee influx into Leiden, his birthplace. The Thirty Years' War drove hundreds of thousands of people into the Dutch Republic; an estimated 10,000 refugees arrived in Leiden in 1626 alone. The painting depicts Christ blessing children and adults, reflecting the biblical theme from the Gospel of Luke, where Jesus rebukes his disciples for turning away children.
Art historian Andrew Graham-Dixon noted: “In 1627, when Rembrandt started this painting, Leiden was undergoing an extraordinary humanitarian crisis... There were people in Leiden who didn’t want to welcome them. But what we can tell from this painting is that Rembrandt is on the side of humanitarian relief... So, this is more than just a painting, I think it’s a statement of Rembrandt’s moral position.”
Alterations and Family Depictions
The later anonymous artist not only replaced the turban with a Dutch cap but also clothed a naked child, simplified the composition, and added crude details to the unfinished foreground. Bell explained: “the restoration has now removed the additions, demonstrating the extent to which the painting was simplified, or sanitised, by subsequent intervention.”
Research revealed that Rembrandt included his own family in the scene—his parents and himself as a young man craning forward. Bell remarked: “In no other image does Rembrandt bring his family together so completely.”
Auction and Public Display
The painting, measuring 106cm by 80.5cm, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in London on 1 July with an estimate of £8 million to £12 million, reflecting its significance as one of Rembrandt’s most important early works in private hands. It will be publicly unveiled from 27 June at Sotheby’s London, offering the first opportunity to see it in its restored state, as Rembrandt originally intended.
