Christie's London to Sell Third Part of Sam Josefowitz's Rembrandt Print Collection in December

""Rembrandt's etchings were an enduring passion for the late Sam Josefowitz, whose collection of the Dutch master's graphic works remains unparalleled by any other 20th-century collector," the house said in a statement."

""Twelve impressions of this work were made in total, and this is the only version not in a public collection. It is arguably the most beautiful, or at least on par with the one in the British Museum. There is also another impression in the Rothschild collection at the Louvre in Paris. The one we are selling has for centuries been considered one of the unicorns of print collecting because it is so rare. It's also serendipitous that this particular sheet was offered exactly 101 years ago at Christie's, given there are 101 lots in the sale. That was the last time this subject appeared in public.""

Christie's London will offer The Sam Josefowitz Collection: Graphic Masterpieces by Rembrandt van Rijn - Part III on December 5 during Classic Week, featuring 101 prints by Rembrandt. Parts I and II of the collection previously brought a combined £13.5 million. The sale includes top lots such as Arnout Tholinx, Inspector (c.1656), with a high estimate of £2.5 million and described as the last privately held impression among twelve total impressions; comparable impressions reside in the British Museum and the Louvre. The sale is presented as a final opportunity to acquire some of the rarest Rembrandt graphic works.

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