Pictures You found a Rembrandt painting (maybe). Which option do you pursue?

**Rain Man** · Today, 05:34 PM

Here's an interesting article for you:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...ine-180985036/

The summary is that an appraiser doing an estate visit in Maine found a painting in the attic that is attributed to Rembrandt.

Assuming that the article is accurate, the owner (heirs?) put it up for auction and it brought $1.41 million.

However, the article said that "if authenticated, the painting could be worth as much as $15 million".

The article talked about how it's not uncommon for people to believe they found a Rembrandt, only to be proven wrong. So my theory is that the owners (heirs?) sold it for a huge discount because it was a guaranteed $1.41 million. If it was proven to be a fake, maybe it would be worth far less. And conversely, the buyer is taking the chance that it's real and buying it at a bargain, understanding that it hasn't been authenticated.

If this was your painting found in your eccentric dead uncle's attic, what would you do? I'll paint a poll in just a moment.

View Poll Results: If you found this unauthenticated possible Rembrandt, what would you do with it?
I'd auction it off and make $1.41 million guaranteed.	13	65.00%
I'd roll the dice and authenticate it. $15 million or nothing depending on the results.	4	20.00%
I'd put it on loan to a museum and get my name on a donor wall. Price is irrelevant.	2	10.00%
I'd hang it in my living room. It would be a great conversation piece.	0	0%
I'd probably throw it out. I don't like to support artists, even if they're dead.	1	5.00%
Other (See my explanation below.)	0	0%
Voters: 20. You may not vote on this poll

Today, 05:34 PM	Topic Starter
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $1828491 VARSITY	You found a Rembrandt painting (maybe). Which option do you pursue? Here's an interesting article for you: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart...ine-180985036/ The summary is that an appraiser doing an estate visit in Maine found a painting in the attic that is attributed to Rembrandt. Assuming that the article is accurate, the owner (heirs?) put it up for auction and it brought $1.41 million. However, the article said that "if authenticated, the painting could be worth as much as $15 million". The article talked about how it's not uncommon for people to believe they found a Rembrandt, only to be proven wrong. So my theory is that the owners (heirs?) sold it for a huge discount because it was a guaranteed $1.41 million. If it was proven to be a fake, maybe it would be worth far less. And conversely, the buyer is taking the chance that it's real and buying it at a bargain, understanding that it hasn't been authenticated. If this was your painting found in your eccentric dead uncle's attic, what would you do? I'll paint a poll in just a moment.
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