Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be shown around the world ahead of its February 2026 auction. Photo: Sotheby's
Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be shown around the world ahead of its February 2026 auction. Photo: Sotheby's
Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be shown around the world ahead of its February 2026 auction. Photo: Sotheby's
Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be shown around the world ahead of its February 2026 auction. Photo: Sotheby's

Rare Rembrandt lion drawing to be displayed in Abu Dhabi ahead of New York auction


Razmig Bedirian
  • English
  • Arabic

The only depiction of a lion by Rembrandt not held by a museum will go under the hammer next year and is expected to fetch millions of dollars.

The work is to be displayed in Abu Dhabi in December as part of a world tour that will conclude with the auction at Sotheby’s New York.

Rembrandt had an evident fascination with lions. Of the six known drawings the Dutch master produced of the fierce felines, two are in the collection of the British Museum, with three more pen-and-wash works housed in the Louvre Museum in Paris; Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam; and Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Young Lion Resting is the only work that is in a private collection, making it an exceptionally coveted piece. Paw on paw and gazing solemnly ahead, the lion in the work is perhaps Rembrandt’s most expressive of the series and communicates the majestic yet restrained strength of its subject.

Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be exhibited in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh prior to its auction in New York. Photo: Sotheby's
Rembrandt's Young Lion Resting will be exhibited in Abu Dhabi and Riyadh prior to its auction in New York. Photo: Sotheby's

The drawing was part of the esteemed Leiden Collection, acquired by Thomas S Kaplan in 2005 as his first work by Rembrandt. The collection has since become one of the most impressive private acquisitions of 17th-century Dutch and Flemish art.

Now, Young Lion Resting is entering the market to benefit a charity founded by Kaplan in 2006. Proceeds from the sale of the drawing, estimated to fetch between $15 and $20 million, will go towards Panthera, a wild cat conservation charity. The organisation is active in the Middle East, most notably through the Global Alliance for Wild Cats – an initiative founded in 2014 under the auspices of President Sheikh Mohamed.

Young Lion Resting will be displayed in several cities around the world before its auction in February. It is currently at Sotheby’s Paris and will be displayed in the New York and London branches of the auction house before arriving in Abu Dhabi.

The drawing will be part of an art exhibition at the St Regis Saadiyat Island Resort. The exhibition will run between December 2 and 6, as part of Abu Dhabi Collectors' Week. It will then head to Hong Kong before being exhibited in Riyadh between January 24 and 26.

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2.45pm: Handicap Dh90,000 1,800m

Winner: Right Flank, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson.

3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m

Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m

Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m

Winner: Ode To Autumn, Patrick Cosgrave, Satish Seemar.

4.45pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh125,000 1,200m

Winner: Last Surprise, James Doyle, Simon Crisford.

5.15pm: Handicap Dh85,000 1,200m

Winner: Daltrey, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihi.

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Welterweight

Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)

(Unanimous points decision)

Catchweight 75kg

Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)

(Second round knockout)

Flyweight (female)

Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)

(RSC in third round)

Featherweight

Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki

(Disqualification)

Lightweight

Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)

(Unanimous points)

Featherweight

Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)

(TKO first round)

Catchweight 69kg

Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)

(First round submission by foot-lock)

Catchweight 71kg

Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)

(TKO round 1).

Featherweight title (5 rounds)

Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)

(TKO round 1).

Lightweight title (5 rounds)

Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)

(RSC round 2).

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Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

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What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods

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Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere

Director: Scott Cooper

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong

Rating: 4/5

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The figure was broadly flat immediately before the Covid-19 pandemic, standing at 216,000 in the year to June 2018 and 224,000 in the year to June 2019.

It then dropped to an estimated 111,000 in the year to June 2020 when restrictions introduced during the pandemic limited travel and movement.

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Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters

The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.

 Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.

A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.

The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.

The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.

Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.

Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment

But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.

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Updated: November 04, 2025, 6:07 AM