Record-Breaking Sale of Rembrandt’s Lion Drawing
A small chalk drawing of a lion by Rembrandt recently sold for a record price of $18 million at a Sotheby’s auction in New York City. The proceeds from the sale will support the conservation of big cats through the Panthera charity.
The artwork, titled Young Lion Resting, was auctioned on Wednesday and surpassed the previous highest price for a Rembrandt drawing, which was $3.7 million for the Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo. This sale set a new benchmark for the artist’s drawings at auction.
Dedication to Panthera Charity
The sellers, billionaire philanthropist Thomas Kaplan and his associate Jon Ayers, announced that the funds raised would be donated to Panthera, a leading wildcat conservation organization.
"Panthera is the one passion I have which surpasses Rembrandt – and I want to attract more people to that cause," Kaplan stated in a pre-auction announcement. "I can think of no more fitting way to do so than to allow this magnificent drawing, which our family has loved for so many years, and which carries so much personal meaning to … Jon Ayers and me, to go on to its next home … in service to Panthera."
Ayers added, "A work that so vividly captures the soul and spirit of lions … now will help protect their living counterparts." He further remarked, "I can think of no finer legacy for this masterpiece than to serve the survival of the species that inspired it."
Details of the Artwork and Historical Context
Sotheby’s described Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn as being in his early to mid-30s and at the height of his creative powers in Amsterdam when he created Young Lion Resting. The drawing measures 4.5 inches tall and depicts a lion in a three-quarter view, resting while wearing a leash around its neck, which suggests the animal was drawn from life.
According to Sotheby’s, "Every stroke renders the lion in exquisite detail, capturing its form but also its vitality, poise and power."
During Rembrandt’s time, seeing a live lion in Europe was a rarity, and Sotheby’s speculated that the artist may have had the opportunity to observe one at a fair.
Rembrandt is known to have drawn only six lions. Besides the one auctioned by Kaplan and Ayers, two are held by London’s British Museum, and the others are in the collections of the Louvre in Paris, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam.
Panthera’s Mission and Leadership
Thomas Kaplan co-founded Panthera with wildlife biologist Alan Rabinowitz. Jon Ayers serves as the chair of the organization. Panthera is dedicated to ensuring the survival of the 40 species of wild cats worldwide and protecting the habitats on which they depend.
The organization also works closely with local communities to combat poaching and fight the illegal wildlife trade, among other conservation efforts.
