Ferdinand Bol

With Levy Galleries, New York;
Gunning;
Their sale, New York, American Art Association, 27 April 1933, lot 27;
Mrs. Loomis C. Johnson, New York, Anderson, 28 October 1936, lot 55;
Gerard Winkin, Paris, 1923 (according to a label on the reverse);
Max Rothschild;
With F. Schnittjer & Son, New York;
Their sale, New York, Parke-Bernet Galleries, 14 January 1943, lot 43;
There purchased by Karl Loevenitch.

J.H.J Mellart, in The Burlington Magazine, October 1923, p. 154, reproduced plate IIA, no. 17;
A. Blankert, Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680): Rembrandt’s Pupil, Doornspijk 1982, p. 179, cat. no. R159A, (erroneously listed under rejected attributions).

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been lined with a synthetic adhesive. The varnish is slightly dull. I think the restoration can remain as it is quite well applied. Cleaning is not recommended. Restorations are clearly visible under ultraviolet light in the forehead on the left of the face, around the eye on the left, and in a few spots in the cheek. The right hand has received restorations. There are also restorations above the end of the feather in the dark side of the coat, and in isolated spots in the hair and background. The only large restoration is in the center of the left edge. With a fresh varnish, the picture would look very well and be ready to hang.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Born in Dordrecht, Ferdinand Bol learned the rudiments of painting under the tutelage of Jacob Gerritsz Cuyp.  In 1637, at the age of twenty, Bol left Dordrecht for Amsterdam to work in the studio of Rembrandt whose influence would dominate the artist’s work for the rest of his career.  Here, Bol shows the sitter half-length, his torso and face turned toward the viewer and his right arm reaching across the foreground, holding an extravagant ostrich feather, as though it were a brush.  Recalling Rembrandt’s style of painting, the figure emerges from the dark background, the light catching the delicately rendered feather and casting shadows on the small yet stout hands, and flashes of red reflect in the gold of the elaborate brocaded cuff.  While this portrait remains indebted to Rembrandt, it is dated 1648, six years after Bol had left the workshop.  Unlike his Self-Portrait, Behind a Parapet of the same year, which very much imitates Rembrandt’s own conception (National Gallery, London, inv. no. NG672), we see here the artist beginning to establish his own independent style.

On the basis of recent photographs, Albert Blankert rescinded his ealier rejection of this portrait, now accepting it as an autograph work by Ferdinand Bol.  We are also grateful to Werner Sumowski and Fred Meijer for endorsing this attribution on the basis of photographs.