Johan Thopas ? Assendelft circa 1630 - circa 1700

J.M. Vreeswijk, sale, Amsterdam, 3 May 1882, lot 289*;
C. Hoogendijk Collection, The Hague, 1902 (no. 30);
Sale Alfr. Boreel et al., Amsterdam, 15 June 1908, no. 576 (together with no 575, 30 guilders to Dirksen);
Sale O. Brenner et al., Amsterdam, 14 December 1911, no. 1486

 

Some light wrinkling, top centre. Light crease in vellum, lower right edge. Some very slight surface rubbing, but overall condition very good and fresh. Unframed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Little is known about the life of Johan Thopas.  He is believed to have been a native of Assendelft, but in 1688 he joined the painters' guild in Haarlem.  With the exception, however, of one oil painting, all his known works are drawings, almost all extremely fine, meticulously drawn portraits, made as finished works of art in their own right.  Dr. Rudi Ekkart is currently preparing a catalogue raisonné of the artist's works.  Dated examples exist from between 1646 and 1676, but his surviving oeuvre remains very small.  Amongst his finest works are the five highly finished portraits of members of the Tulp family, in the Six Collection, Amsterdam, which are, however, fully coloured¹.  Also notable is the charming Portrait of a Boy as a Hunter, in the Abrams Collection², executed, like the present drawing, in the artist's most characteristic technique of graphite and/or pen and black ink on vellum.

We are very grateful to Dr. Rudi Ekkart for providing the provenance for this drawing. 

1. See S.A.C. Dudok van Heel et al., Nicolaes Tulp, Amsterdam 1998, pp. 64-5

2. See William W. Robinson, Brueghel to Rembrandt, Dutch and Flemish Drawings from the Maida and George Abrams Collection, exhibition catalogue, London, British Museum et. al., 2002-3, cat.no. 95.