A portrait bidders believed to be by 17th century Dutch artist Rembrandt has been sold in Cirencester, in the West of England.

The portrait, described by auctioneers as the work of an unknown follower of Rembrandt and with a reserve of up to £1500, sold for £2.58 million, including fees.

“On the day of the auction, both the winner and under bidder seemed convinced it was (a) genuine Rembrandt self-portrait”, auctioneer Philip Allwood said.

“The buyer who wishes to remain anonymous seemed very relaxed spending that sort of money,” he added.

Allwood, from England-based auctioneers Moore, Allen and Innocent, said of the painting: “When I first saw it I said it looked very much like a Rembrandt and was assured by the client it had been checked out years ago and it wasn’t.”

Allwood, unsure whether the seller had been correctly advised, sought a second opinion from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, but the results proved inconclusive, The Times newspaper said.

According to Allwood, the museum felt “fairly happy” that it was not a self-portrait, but added that it was almost certainly painted in the 17th century by a contemporary of Rembrandt.

Posted: 10|27|07 at 5:26 pm. Filed under: UK News.