The Rembrandt drawing that was stolen last weekend from a
Marina del Rey hotel and then mysteriously reappeared just days later at a
church in Encino has left many questions unanswered. Who stole it? Why was it
returned? Now some experts are questioning whether the small work is an
authentic Rembrandt, according to a report Friday on The Times' L.A. Now blog.
The drawing's owner, the Linearis Institute, maintains that
the work, titled "The Judgment," is authentic. But The Times said
that it has interviewed art experts who cast doubt on its provenance.
The Times said it has reviewed the six-volume catalog of
Rembrandt's work by Otto Benesch, and that the drawing was not included. It
also said the drawing does not appear on a list of 70 authenticated, signed
Rembrandt drawings compiled by scholar Peter Schatborn.