After an extensive global exhibition that took Rembrandt van Rijn's Young Lion Resting (circa 1638-42) to major cities including Paris, Abu Dhabi, Tokyo, and New York, the artwork was sold for an impressive $17.86 million at Sotheby's on Wednesday. This sale marks the highest amount ever paid for a drawing by the renowned Dutch artist.
Although this price did not surpass the overall auction record for works on paper--held by Raphael's Head of an Apostle at $48 million--it significantly exceeded the previous record for a Rembrandt drawing, which was $3.7 million for Windmill de Smeerpot, Amsterdam (circa 1649-52). All proceeds from Young Lion Resting will be directed to Panthera, a wild cat conservation organization co-founded by Thomas Kaplan, the American French precious metals entrepreneur.
This sale was a highlight of Sotheby's "Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries" auction in New York, which totaled $19.8 million, setting a new record for Old Master drawings.
Young Lion Resting was part of The Leiden Collection, a remarkable assembly of 17th-century Dutch Golden Age artworks that Kaplan and his wife, Daphne, have curated over two decades. This collection boasts the largest private collection of Rembrandt paintings, including 17 works, and the only Vermeer still in private hands. The couple would need just five more Rembrandt pieces to match the holdings of the Rijksmuseum.
Kaplan expressed his excitement to ARTnews, stating, "Wednesday night was a moment of preternatural symmetry--on so many levels. Rembrandt's 400-year-old drawing of a lion has now been transformed into a lifeline for its contemporary counterparts. How poetic. And to see this exquisite work--the very first by the master that my wife Daphne and I ever acquired--achieve such a historic result is certainly most gratifying."
He further noted, "We are celebrating Panthera's 20th anniversary this year. Together with our partner in wildlife conservation, Jon Ayers, who is also a co-owner of the drawing, we are thrilled that every dollar from the proceeds will support science-directed conservation efforts in the field. This significant event--both financially and in terms of advocacy--will empower Panthera to enhance its most effective initiatives across approximately 40 countries."
Gregory Rubinstein, Sotheby's head of Old Master drawings, remarked to ARTnews that this result "cements Rembrandt's place among the kings of drawings." Additionally, on the same day, Sotheby's auctioned Diane A. Nixon's collection of drawings, achieving $10.8 million against a high estimate of $7.7 million.
When Kaplan showcased Young Lion Resting at Sotheby's Paris last November, he mentioned that his family does not "live with any of our Rembrandts" as they are not focused on material possessions or the social aspects of collecting. This explains why the Kaplans have remained anonymous while lending works--now totaling 80--from The Leiden Collection to prestigious institutions like the Hermitage Museum, the National Museum of China, and the Louvre. They chose to step into the limelight for this sale to further Panthera's mission and to make the Rembrandt collection more publicly accessible, stating, "because our mission was for them to be seen."
