Conservators at the Mauritshuis gallery in The Hague have called into question the attribution of three paintings long believed to be by Rembrandt van Rijn. Technical analysis revealed an underdrawing beneath *Portrait of Rembrandt with a Gorget* (c. 1629), proving it is a copy and that the original is in Nuremberg. *Tronie of an Old Man* (c. 1630) may be by a student or employee, and *Study of an Old Man* (c. 1655), though signed by Rembrandt, shows less accomplished brushwork and a date applied later in different paint, suggesting studio production. All three works remain on view in the exhibition *Rembrandt?* (17 April–13 July).
This matters because it underscores the ongoing complexity of Old Master attribution, where scientific analysis and connoisseurship can overturn centuries-old assumptions. The Mauritshuis, home to one of the world’s most important Rembrandt collections, is transparently reassessing its holdings, which affects the art market, museum scholarship, and public understanding of the artist’s oeuvre. The case also highlights how studio practices—including masters signing student works—complicate the definition of an “authentic” Rembrandt.