The world's top 53 Art Historians and Art Dealers have received material on this
painting.
As of today 50% of them have responded.
They all agree on the following statements:
“The cleaning and restoration has proven the
painting to be a masterpiece of
spectacular and outstanding quality.”
Here are a few of the comments:
April 10,
2007 Dr. David
de Witt:
Dear Bob
Demchuk: I have had a chance to study the large ektachrome transparency, of
An Old Woman Weighing Coins, which you sent to me in March 2004. The
painting is oil on oak panel, and measures 87.2 x 77.3 cm. It bears a false
Rembrandt signature and date of 1647 in the upper left corner. I'm quite certain
that this painting is by the Amsterdam painter Abraham van Dijck, who is
commonly thought to have studied with Rembrandt around 1650. This painting
accords well with Van Dijck's paintings of the later 1650's, many of which
depict old men and woman, often with a moralizing message, as here. It
is very close to the the painting of an Old Woman and Man Eating Supper, last in the
collection of Emile Wolf in New York, which Werner Sumowski gave to Van
Dijck (no. 384), which is in turn very close to a signed work by the artist
of a similar theme, dated 1657, last with Sam Nystad in The Hague (Sumowski
no. 383). Especially the varied handling of textures of flesh, fur and
fabric, and metal, relate to Van Dijck's approach, as does the subject
matter of old, poor people, which reappears frequently in his work.
Professor
Werner Sumowski believed it to be a
very early Sir Godfrey Kneller.
Dr. David de Witt: "Alfred Bader asked me to show the images
of your painting to Dr. J. Douglas Stewart, who has authored a monograph on
Kneller, with the question whether it could be by this artist. He thought the
painting could not be by Kneller, although he could understand why someone might
think so on first glance. My own opinion is that the work is by Abraham van Dijck.”
Dr. de Witt also believes that this painting is by
Abraham van Dijck.
(Dr. de Witt who just
completed his book on Jan van Noordt is now authoring a monograph on Abraham
van Dijck in the near future.)
Sir
Christopher White CVO FBA: "reminds me of Abraham van Dyck"
Several other Art Historians have come to the same conclusion that Arthur Wheelock and Jan Leja
have:
"Unfortunately, I haven't been able to identify your painting as the work of a
named seventh-century artist. It displays, however, two curious features that
might help you in future attempts to identify him. First, her face and hands,
especially her right hand were painted in a different manner: the face, quite
finely: the hand, rather broadly. Second, the woman's garb is somewhat unusual.
She is wearing what appears to be a type of corset - a fairly unusual item of
clothing for the image of traditional gold-weigher."
Some Art Historians suggested that due the different manner of execution this
might suggest a painter who was in the process of changing his style and
suggested: Drost, Willem, (b ?Germany, c. 1630; d ?Amsterdam, after
1680). Dutch painter, draughtsman and printmaker, possibly of German origin.
Other comments:
"At first glance he thought it was by
Karel van den
Pluym, but also had a feeling it was done by a Austrian or German Artist."
“Detail, style and colors used in the painting I should
consider the artist to be one of the 17th Century Dutch painters from Dordrencht!.”