A routine estate visit in Camden, Maine, on Saturday led to the groundbreaking discovery of a rare 17th-century portrait, a replica of Rembrandt, in an attic, PR Newswire reported.

Kaya Weill, an auctioneer and master appraiser with decades of experience in the art industry, discovered art that had been hidden for years. According to PR Newswire. The painting was later sold at Thomaston Place Auction Gallery for an astounding $1.4 million, setting a new record for an art sale in Maine.

Weil came across the portrait, depicting a girl in a black gown with a white frilled collar, during one of his regular visits to the house. Despite its age, the painting was found in pristine condition, complete with its hand-carved Dutch frame.

“When we make house calls, we usually go in blind, not knowing what we're going to find,” Weil said. “The house was full of amazing things, but it was in the attic, among the piles of art, that we found this incredible portrait.”

Rembrandt portrait found in Maine attic sells for record price | Click image to read full story https://t.co/pQioF7T5c7

— WMTW Television (@WMTWTV) August 31, 2024

The portrait was offered at Thomaston Place's Summer Grandeur auction, which took place over three days and featured a wide variety of fine art and antiques. When bidding began for Lot 2363, international buyers competed enthusiastically, and the price quickly rose to six figures. In the final moments of the auction, there was a fierce battle between three telephone bidders, ultimately resulting in a private European collector winning for $1.4 million, PR Newswire reported.

According to the outlet, the winning bidder's agent, Zebulon Kasperson, described the auction as an exhilarating experience: “It was amazing. I never imagined it would go for over $1 million. It feels like a shared victory,” he said.