Restoring an antique plate while solving Rembrandt's mystery

Restoration time! I found this lovely little Dutch Copper Plate at the Bins recently and was horrified to see the paint job it had endured. All jokes aside, I love a good DIY but felt this piece was better off in it's original form 💛

I always try to find some enchanting story about the objects I save to share. I came across an article about the mystery of Rembrandt's copper etching plates and knew it was the perfect tale to pair with this find from the 1940s.

Rembrandt was a Dutch painter during the Baroque period. He is regarded as one of Western Art History's greatest visual artists. During the late 1650s, he was going through bankruptcy court and his possessions were being auctioned off to pay his debts. Interestingly, his copper etching plates were not a part of this sale.

There are a few theories as to why this may have occurred: some believe it is because those were the tools of his trade. While others suggest that his friend, Clement De Jonghe, cataloged and saved them before his possesions were seized. They were confirmed to be in his collection by 1677, 8 years after Rembrandt's death, so I think the second theory is more likely, personally. What about you? What do you think happened to the etchings?

For the restoration I used: mild, generic paint stripper, vinegar and salt! That's it! This process took about 1 hour from start to finish and cost me approx $5 with lots of leftover stripper to use on other projects!