Portrait of a Couple with Two Children and a Nurse in a Landscape, Adriaen van de Velde, 1667
When this picture went under the hammer in 1824, it was presented as a self-portrait of Adriaen van de Velde with his family. This myth persisted throughout the entire 19th century, and in part because of this it became one of the most admired attractions in Amsterdam. When it became clear that it was certainly not a self-portrait, interest in the painting diminished noticeably.