Sotheby's hosted a lunch in Paris for billionaire collector Thomas S. Kaplan, who is selling a Rembrandt drawing titled *Young Lion Resting* (ca. 1638–42) from his Leiden Collection. The drawing, with a high estimate of $20 million, will be auctioned in New York in February, with all proceeds donated to Panthera, the wild cat conservation charity Kaplan founded. Kaplan acquired the work in 2005 from the Herring gallery and has kept much of his collection anonymous, but is now stepping forward to support conservation and public access.
The sale matters because it represents a rare opportunity to acquire a major Old Master drawing by Rembrandt, with an estimate far exceeding the current auction record for a Rembrandt drawing. It also highlights Kaplan's dual role as a prominent art collector and philanthropist, using a high-profile auction to fund wildlife conservation. The event underscores ongoing trends in the art market, including the fractionalization of major collections and the intersection of private collecting with public mission.