Mistrz i uczniowie. Rola sygnatur w badaniach oryginalności dzieł Rembrandta
Master and students. The role of signatures in research of originality of Rembrandt’s works

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to show the role of signature expertise in the process of attribution or acknowledgement of the authenticity of a painting, based on the example of Rembrandt van Rijn’s works. Results of various analyses aimed at establishing the attribution of a work to an author may not, if examined separately, produce satisfactory outcomes. Only their application in combination may lead to a conviction about the authenticity of a work. Examination of the authenticity of signatures has made it possible to distinguish between paintings of Rembrandt from his contemporary copies and later forgeries. Experts from the Rembrandt Research Project analyzed signatures in terms of their accordance with the master’s life period and the similarities in the construction of signs. Furthermore, they searched for symptoms of interference with a signature. The presence of Rembrandt’s authentic signature on a painting limits the number of potential authors of the work to the circle of the master himself or his students. Thus additionally an expert should take into consideration the fact that Rembrandt’s signature may also appear on the work of one of his students.

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