Dutch & Flemish
Old Masters

Research lies at the heart of Salomon Lilian. At the gallery’s research centre in Amsterdam, art historians study each acquisition – its attribution, its provenance, its place in the artist’s oeuvre – and publish their findings in the gallery’s annual catalogue, issued since 1992. Their work regularly brings forgotten paintings back to light.

New acquisition Jacob Marrel On the eve of the crash Painted in 1635, two years before the tulip market collapsed, this bouquet is crowned by a Semper Augustus, a single bulb of which could cost as much as a canal house in Amsterdam. Read the entry → On loan · Gotha Jan Lievens Out of the shadow Dismissed as a copy in 1932 and overlooked for nearly a century, this tronie is now recognised as a fully autograph work, painted c. 1630/32. Read the entry → Swabian School, c. 1480 A hand on the shoulder Restoration revealed a woman’s hand resting on the sitter’s shoulder: the portrait was once one half of a double portrait, possibly of Eitel Friedrich II von Hohenzollern and his bride. Read the entry → Peter Paul Rubens Rubens at work Last seen in public over forty years ago, Rubens’ oil sketch for the altar piece now in Moscow has been restored to its original clarity. Read the entry → Pieter Verelst A seal on the reverse Unknown until 2026, this self portrait bears Verelst’s own monogram in a red wax seal, suggesting it remained in the painter’s possession. Read the entry → Hans Rottenhammer A date rediscovered Known for decades only from an old black-and-white photograph, and believed to date from the 1590s, this signed copper has resurfaced: it was painted in Venice in 1601, the only signed version of a much-copied composition. Read the entry →

Currently on loan Jan Lievens’ Tronie of a Bearded Old Man is on view in the exhibition Rembrandt 1632. Creation of a brand, Herzogliches Museum, Gotha, until 6 December 2026. Exhibition details →