Kaja Veilleux at the podium having just sold Lot 2363, ‘After Rembrandt’, for $1.4 million ©
Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, helmed by renowned founder and auctioneer Kaja Veilleux, recently made waves in the art world after an extraordinary find during what was supposed to be a routine house call in Camden, Maine. Veilleux, a longtime figurehead in New England’s fine art scene, stumbled upon a 17th-century portrait after Rembrandt tucked away in the attic of a private estate.
For over four decades, Veilleux has been New England’s go-to appraiser, known for his weekly visits to estates and private homes. But this latest visit turned into something special. In a house packed with beautiful antiques, Veilleux unearthed a hidden gem: a portrait of a young girl that had been resting, untouched, among a pile of forgotten art.
“We never know what we’ll discover on these house calls,” Veilleux shared. “This home was filled with treasures, but finding this portrait in the attic was a surreal moment.”
The painting, portraying a teenage girl in a black dress with a white ruffled collar and cap, was remarkably well-preserved. Painted on a cradled oak panel and set in a hand-carved Dutch frame, it carried its own established family history. A label on the back even attributed the work to Rembrandt and confirmed it had been part of a 1970 exhibition at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
The portrait was soon added to Thomaston Place’s Summer Grandeur auction, an annual three-day event featuring over 1,500 lots of fine art, antiques, and collectables. On the second day, the portrait, Lot 2363, took centre stage after seven hours of fast-paced bidding.
With nine Thomaston Place staff members handling phone bids, international buyers—many from Europe—quickly pushed the price into six figures. As the battle heated up, the final two bidders faced off, sending the price soaring past the million-dollar mark. Zebulon Casperson, representing the winning bidder, sealed the deal with a final bid of $1.41 million.
“It was unbelievable,” Casperson said. “Of all the phone bids I’ve worked on, I never thought I’d help close a million-dollar sale. It felt like we all won.”
The portrait’s sale not only set a new record for the highest price ever achieved at auction in Maine but also solidified Thomaston Place Auction Galleries’ rising status as a leader in the fine art world. This historic sale underscores the gallery’s commitment to discovering rare, valuable works and bringing them to a global audience.
