LONDON. A newly discovered Holbein portrait of Erasmus has been unveiled in Rotterdam. It was bought in a minor auction in Paris €2,000. The Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum has put the painting on show as by Hans Holbein the Younger in an exhibition on “Images of Erasmus” (until 8 February).

The portrait was sold at Drouot-Richelieu on 27 September 2000, by auctioneer Raymond de Nicolay. Presumably unrecognised as an image of Erasmus, it was in an uncatalogued sale of modest items. It now belongs to a private collector in Zurich.

Following the purchase, the painting was cleaned, and the dark, later background removed. This work was done by New York conservator Marco Grassi. The fine quality of the work was then revealed, particularly in the hands, book and fur. Infrared photography showed underdrawing for the hands.

Research on the provenance revealed that the auction consignor was a beneficiary of Princess Marie de Robech Levis-Mirepoix, who died in 1997 at the Château de Malesherbes, near Orléans. She was the last descendent of the distinguished Lamoignon family.

Further investigations showed that in 1721 a member of the Lamoignon family became the heir to the Dinteville estate. Holbein’s 1533 masterpiece The Ambassadors (National Gallery, London) includes Jean de Dinteville in the double portrait. Although it may be wishful thinking to suggest that the Erasmus portrait was once owned by Jean de Dinteville, it is an intriguing possibility.

Boijmans Van Beuningen curator Dr Peter van der Coelen records the Zurich portrait as by Holbein and dates it to around 1530 in the catalogue’s main illustration. At this time Holbein and Erasmus were both living in Basel. In his essay, Dr Van der Coelen is slightly more cautious, arguing that “it comes very close to Holbein himself”.

Outside specialists have not yet reached a consensus, although it is widely agreed that the painting dates from Holbein’s lifetime. Professor Pascal Griener of Neuchâtel University told us that he believes it is an authentic Holbein. He points to the areas of fine painting, concluding that “it is a significant discovery”.

Dr Stephan Kemperdick of the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin agrees it is of “fine quality and of the period”. But because of minor differences with other Holbein portraits of Erasmus in Basel and London, he concludes that it was done by “a follower or assistant of Holbein”.

Valuing the picture, if authenticated, is difficult, since Holbein paintings are very rare and no major examples have been sold in recent decades. A portrait of Sir Thomas Wyatt has been on the market with the Weiss Gallery in London for a reported $10m, although there have been questions about its attribution.

However, the combination of the greatest portraitist of the northern Renaissance and such a distinguished sitter would make the Zurich portrait extremely valuable. If authenticated, it could be worth tens of millions of Euros. However, all this will depend on the experts agreeing. The Rotterdam museum will be holding a symposium on 23 January when the attribution will be discussed.  Martin Bailey www.theartnewspaper.com