January 17, 2006 - One of the undeniable highlights at TEFAF Maastricht 2006 will be a portrait of The Apostle James the Major by Rembrandt. This portrait, which has not been on the market for 60 years, is one of the last major paintings by Rembrandt in private hands. It is being sold in the 400th anniversary year of the artist's birth. The portrait of The Apostle James the Major is being sold by Salander- O'Reilly Galleries, New York. TEFAF Maastricht runs from March 10-19, 2006 at the MECC, Maastricht.

The portrait, signed in full and dated 1661, 36 x 29 in. (92.1 x 74.9 cm) was painted during a difficult period in Rembrandt's life. In the late 1650s the painter had to give up his house and effects, but spiritually and artistically he had matured and his output increased noticeably. At this time he created a number of life-sized half-length figures of apostles and evangelists. The Apostle James the Major is unique in Rembrandt's late work because the figure is almost full-length and the profile is painted looking to the right, an uncommon pose. The realism with which the disciple, with his lived-in face, is represented, the darkly gleaming palette and the palpable depth lends the work its spiritual eloquence, emphasized still further by the erect posture and the slender fingers of the apostle. St James was beheaded in AD 44 and his remains allegedly transported to Santiago de Compostela. His supposed tomb was discovered around the 9th Century at Compostela, which by the 11th Century had become a pilgrimage site next in importance to only Jerusalem and Rome. Since the late Middle Ages, in pictorial art the apostle is portrayed as a pilgrim with the long coat, walking staff and scallop shell as insignia on hat and clothes.

The painting has an impeccable provenance dating back to the 18th century. The canvas went to America through the great art dealer Joseph Duveen. It has been seen recently in the National Gallery of Art, Washington and the Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.
Noortman Master Paintings, Maastricht, is also offering an important painting by Rembrandt, Portrait of a Bearded Man in a Red Doublet of 1633. Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam, Kunsthandel Helmut H. Rumbler, Frankfurt, and David Tunick, New York, are all showing etchings by Rembrandt.

AXA Art, principal sponsor of TEFAF
The Thrill of Collecting - in 2006 AXA Art will celebrate the variety of collections that the Company protects with a display of curious and wonderful objects loaned by passionate collectors. The impact of water damage will also be explored - a concern at the forefront of the art world's minds following Hurricane Katrina.

Note for editors:
Go to www.tefaf.com under 'press room' for images with descriptions. The images can be downloaded in high resolution. For further information please contact:

Barbara Veldkamp
Netherlands Board of Tourism & Conventions
355 Lexington Avenue
New York, NY 10017
T: 212-370-7360, X19
bveldkamp@holland.com