Which is the real Rembrandt?"Minerva in Her Study" is the real deal. In it Rembrandt depicts his wife as the Roman goddess of wisdom and war. The laurel wreath on her brow and the book at hand show her at peace, with her battle helmet in the shadows. Typically, Rembrandt inserted a little joke, depicting himself on a barely visible shield in the background, in the guise of Medusa with a bulbous nose and snake-hair. A private New York collector bought this work in 2008.

"Portrait of a Woman in Profile" is now thought to be by Govaert Flinck, a pupil of Rembrandt's who is being recognized as a talent in his own right. It depicts Rembrandt's wife, Saskia, and was probably done in the master's studio under his supervision. It was assumed to be by Rembrandt when an American collector gave it to the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn., in 1961.

MARY ABBE