Restoration of Rembrandt's "Suffer the Children to Come unto Me" has uncovered significant later interventions that hid part of the original composition for centuries.
Conservators removed overpaint to reveal that a central figure originally wore a turban, later replaced with a traditional Dutch headdress. The changes altered both the ethnic and visual character of the work.
According to Sotheby's, the modifications simplified the composition to suit 18th-century tastes. After cleaning, the painting now closer reflects Rembrandt's original intent.
Art historians link the work to the social milieu of 1620s Leiden, a city sheltering thousands of refugees during the Thirty Years' War. The painting will debut post-restoration at Sotheby's London on June 27, with an estimated value of £8-12 million.
