A painting by the Dutch painter Rembrandt has sold at Christie's auction house in London for 22 million euros. This is the highest amount ever paid for a Rembrandt and the fifth highest price for any Old Master at auction.

The painting, “Portrait of a man, half-length, with his arms akibo”, depicts an unknown sitter facing the artist with a defiant pose, his hands on his hips. The man in the portrait is known as the “foreign admiral” because of the unusual tunic he is wearing. It was painted by Rembrandt van Rijn in 1658 during one of his most artistically inventive periods.

This work of art was sold for just over 20,000 euros in 1930. It was donated to Columbia University in 1958 and sold privately in 1974 for the university’s endowment fund. It was last seen in public 40 years ago in Detroit.

Christie's has not named the new owner, who bid anonymously by telephone.

The previous record price for a Rembrandt sold at auction was in December 2000, when “Portrait of a lady aged 62” sold at Christie’s in London for almost 22 million euros.

Altogether Christie’s sale of dozens of Old Masters and 19th century art on Tuesday fetched 75 million euros. The highest bid was for a Raphael work “Head of a Muse”, which sold for 32 million euros. This is a record for a Raphael painting, a world record for any work on paper and the second highest price ever paid for an old master painting or drawing.

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606 – 1669) is one of the Netherlands' best known Old Masters of the 17th century. He painted over 300 paintings, 300 sketches and 200 drawings during his lifetime. Many of his works were portraits or they depicted historical scenes. He often painted self-portraits.

Photo: Rembrandt sold for record amount - ANP