Rembrandt's hometown displays earliest known paintings

Rembrandt's earliest works, painted when the Dutch master was only 18 years old, will soon be on display together for the first time in his hometown of Leiden.

Leiden's De Lakenhal museum, thought to be only a stone's throw from where Rembrandt's studio would have been, presented the collection of four paintings to media on Thursday.

The works are part of a series depicting the senses -- "Spectacles Seller (allegory of sight)", "Three Musicians (allegory of hearing)", "Unconscious Patient (allegory of smell)", and "Stone Operation (allegory of touch)."

Tantalisingly, a fifth Rembrandt in the series -- "the allegory of taste" -- has never been found.

"It's very mysterious. We are quite sure that Rembrandt actually made five paintings in this series because there are five senses and not four," museum curator Janneke van Asperen told AFP.

"We don't have any clue about where it might be. Perhaps it's still there, someone has it lying in the attic. Or perhaps it's gone. We hope of course we'll find it," she added.

The works show that even at a young age, Rembrandt was prepared to break with convention, according to the museum. At the time, the senses were generally portrayed by elegant female figures.

"The talent that we see in these works is already very exceptional," said Van Asperen.

However, there are some aspects of the works which are clearly the work of a very inexperienced painter, such as the depiction of the heads, she said.

The early works show signs of what would become Rembrandt's signature qualities, such as broad brushstrokes and the use of chiaroscuro, an oil technique involving strong contrasts between dark and light to create three-dimensional figures with dramatic effect.

"Of course, he will become a master of it and we are seeing the beginning of that here," said the curator.

"We look forward to introducing both Dutch and international visitors to the very first works to have emerged from his hand and the talent already exhibited by the artist at such a young age," said museum director Tanja Elstgeest.

The pictures are available for public viewing from January 20 to June 16.