Willem van Oordt Active Amsterdam, circa 1635 - 55

This belongs to a stylistically consistent group of numbered drawings depicting episodes from the life of Christ, which probably all originate from the same album.  Though they have traditionally been attributed to artists such as Jan Pynas, Nicolaes Knupfer and Gerrit van Honthorst, P. Dirkse has recently and convincingly demonstrated that they must in fact be by the little-known Willem van Oordt (see P.Dirkse, 'Christus en de hoofdman van Kapernaüm, een tekening door W. van Oordt van bijzonder documentair belang,' in Catharijnebrief, vereiniging Vrienden van het Catherijneconvent, 60, December 1997, pp.11-16).  Other drawings from this group were sold, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 4 November 2003 (lot 18) and 12 November 1996 (lot 245, as Circle of Jan Pynas), and Amsterdam, Christie's, 24 November 1992 (lot 162, as Circle of Jacob Pynas).