Where do I find info on a Rembrandt portrait I saw at the Hammer Museum ??

Question

When I went to the Hammer Museum in L.A. I saw a painting called " Portrait of a man holding a black hat " by Rembrandt it blew me away, I fell in love with the eyes. When I got home I tried to get info on it through the internet but none exists that I can find . I've called all the museums in the area to no avail. Is it common to have a master's painting at a museum that one can't find a picture of or any info on ?? Please help me find this picture........

Answer 1

Go to Web Catalogue of Rembrandt paintings; 7th row down, 2nd from right. 
http://staff.science.uva.nl/~fjseins/Rem…
This must be your painting. If you put your mouse on the picture it comes up with the fact that it is in the Hammer Museum and that it was painted in 1639 - which is correct. But the strange thing is that if one looks up Rembrandt online where one can check out which Museum holds which painting, the Hammer Museum only says it has one Rembrandt - the famous Juno painting. 
It may be that there now may be doubts whether Man with a Hat is a genuine Rembrandt, and this would account for them not including their painting as being part of their holdings. Check this out, if you like at (scroll down to Hammer Museum)http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/rem…

Answer 2

Some museums do not publish images of there collections or allow them to be seen anywhere except in that museum. But the Hammer is not one of those museums.

There is an image of two men carrying the painting here:

http://www.happynews.com/news/3312006/re…

Have you tried calling the Hammer museum itself and asked to be transfered to the bookstore (310 - 443 - 7000). They may sell a postcard of the painting or a book with an image of it in it that they would ship to you. Another option is to go to a library with a good art section (perhaps a big University library) and look for a "Catalogue Raisonne" for Rembrandt. A Catalogue Raisonne is a book put together by art historians to list all the works by one artist. Often they include images of all the works. They are listed by date so you would want to check the year 1637.