Dutch museum makes 'needle in a haystack' confirmation of Rembrandt paintingThe Rijksmuseum says a painting once dismissed as “not a Rembrandt” is now confirmed as a work by the Dutch Golden Age masterByMIKE CORDER Associated PressMarch 2, 2026, 7:26 AMTHE HAGUE, Netherlands -- A painting that was once rejected as a work by Rembrandt van Rijn has now been acknowledged as a work by the Dutch master, thanks to two years of scrutiny in the city where the then-27-year-old artist painted it in 1633, a museum announced Monday. The Netherlands' national art and history museum, the Rijksmuseum, unveiled the work, “Vision of Zacharias in the Temple,” and said painstaking analysis including high-tech scans has confirmed it was painted by Rembrandt after he moved to the capital, Amsterdam. The painting hasn't been on public display in decades after being bought by a private collector in 1961, a year after it was deemed not to be a Rembrandt, the museum said in a statement. From Wednesday, will go on show among other masterpieces at the Rijksmusuem, where it is on long-term loan. Director Taco Dibbits said the museum often gets emails from people asking if the painting they own might just be by the Golden Age master.“We always hope to find a new Rembrandt, but this happens rarely," he told The Associated Press. He said making such a discovery “is just like (finding) a needle in a haystack.”The owner, who has remained anonymous, initially asked the museum only if the painting was Dutch.“He really didn’t know what he had.
