She Inherited Centuries-Old Prints From Her Grandfather—Then Discovered They Were Valuable Rembrandts

If you need motivation to do some spring cleaning, keep reading. This Dutch woman uncovered hidden treasure during a home clean-out.

In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, Charlotte Meyer made an amazing discovery as she sorted through a drawer of heirlooms.

When Meyer’s grandfather died, he left her a folder of prints that had been in the family for roughly a century. In it were 35 etchings created by the Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn. For years, the works sat untouched in a drawer because Meyer thought they were just beautiful prints. But after a second look, she started to wonder if they were more than she initially thought.

She contacted the experts at the Rembrandt House Museum in Amsterdam, and according to Meyer, they were “completely blown away” when they visited her house to see the collection. "They said, 'Charlotte, you have no idea what you’ve got!'" she told Omroep Gelderland, a public broadcaster for the Dutch province of Gelderland.

In addition to his paintings, Rembrandt also created hundreds of etchings (images printed on paper using copper or metal plates and acid), many of which ended up with collectors and enthusiasts like Meyer's grandfather. He collected the etchings between 1900 and 1920. The folder contained small images, some only 10 by 5 centimeters.

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"Nobody was interested in etchings back then. They were nothing special. For just a few guilders, my grandfather bought 35 different ones. My grandmother didn’t pay any attention to them. We kept them, but nobody really expected anything from them," Meyer told Omroep Gelderland. The works are worth a great deal of money, though Meyer prefers not to disclose exactly how much.

Since learning about the value of the prints, Meyer has spent the past several years growing her own collection of etchings by Rembrandt, which now includes over 70 works, along with art from the master's predecessors, contemporaries, and followers.

Beginning March 21, more than 70 of these works—including the 35 etchings from Meyer’s grandfather—will go on view at the Stedelijk Museum Zutphen as part of a new exhibition titled "Rembrandt, From Dark to Light." Meyer will lead guided tours of the show, focusing on symbolism in the Dutch artist’s etchings. The exhibit will be on view through June 14.