Hello Marsi,

Thank you very much for submitting your item for an online appraisal and for your patience.

The presented object appears to be an etching on laid paper, a posthumous late 18th century impression of Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn's (1606-1669) work titled "The Stoning of St. Stephen" from 1635. It measures approximately 4 x 3.5 inches, is framed and looks to be in good condition. "Holl & B 97" refer to the catalogues raisonné where this work is listed.

According to the inscription on the back, this is a Basan impression or "Recueil." Eames Fine Art, a gallery based in London that recently sold a similar work writes on their website:

"The vast majority of Rembrandt etchings sold worldwide are posthumous impressions created at least a century after his death. Rembrandt’s last years passed in abject poverty and many of his possessions were auctioned to raise funds. A collection of 83 of his copper plates were acquired by the French dealer Pierre-François Basan, who in 1786, published the first ‘Recueil’ (collection) of Rembrandt prints in Paris. It will have been one of these early Basan collections which Francisco de Goya had access to when preparing ideas for his seminal Los Caprichos in 1796-98.

In 1797 the plates passed to Basan’s son Henri Louis who continued to publish further ‘Recueils’ until approximately 1807/8. The ‘Basan Recueils’ were issued in book form with the prints pasted onto heavy paper typically three or four to a page. There was no set edition size for the printings and evidence suggests that these collections were printed to order by the Basans and subsequent owners of the plates into the 20th Century. Today, ‘Basan Recueils’ are highly sought after and command high prices on the rare occasions that they come to the market. Only 11 Basan recueils have appeared for sale at international auctions over the last 20 years."

Given the scarcity and demand for this work, I would estimate the current fair market value at around $6000 to 8000, though retail and asking prices may vary.

It is important to note that this appraisal is provided on the assumption of authenticity. I highly recommend that you get in touch with our authentication research team: www.authenticate-art.com / [email protected] for a more detailed look at the artwork and to verify the value that I've provided.

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments section below. Thank you again and have a wonderful day!

Kind regards,
Anne