Theodoor van Thulden 's-Hertogenbosch 1606 - 1669

Prince Serge Koudacheff, Saint Petersburg, 1902;
Prince Tatarsky, Saint Petersburg;
His sale,  Amsterdam, Frederik Muller & Co, 27 June 1905, lot 26 (as Studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens; by one of his best pupils, possibly Van Thulden);
Hermann Emden, Hamburg;
His sale, Berlin, R. Lepke, 3 May 1910, lot 62 (as Sir Peter Paul Rubens), 8,500 Marks to Glogau;
D. Heinemann, Munich;
Preyer collection, Vienna;
Christian Bruchet collection, 1959;
Comte Bernard du Chaterret, Paris, 1972;
Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 17 January 1985, lot 131 (as Jan van den Hoecke), where acquired by the present owner.  

Vingt-cinq tableaux de la Collection du Prince Serge Wladimirowitch  Koudacheff à St. Pétersbourg, Saint Petersburg 1902, no. 4, reproduced in an engraving (as Sir Peter Paul Rubens);
D. Bodart, in Pierre-Paul Rubens, exhibition catalogue, Tokyo - Yamaguchi - Tsu - Kyoto, 1985, p. 47, under no. 47 (as Studio of Sir Peter Paul Rubens).

 

The colours of the catalogue illustration are too rich as compared with the original. The canvas has a recent relining which is rather rigid. This has caused some flattening of the paint surface. The painting has been recently restored and re-varnished. there are numerous restored tears around all four margins.There is an L-shaped restored tear on the head of the leftmost putto (12 by 5 cm); on the left hand figure there is a small restored tear on his right hand and on his belly, and a further restored tear of approx. 20 cm to the background above. There is a horizontal seam where two canvases join about 15cm from the upper edge. Inspection under ultra-violet light reveals retouching and restoration to the central figure's jaw and chin, tothe cheek and leg of the left hand figure and scattered throughout the back of the right hand figure. There is also some strengthening throughout the background. In spite of these restorations the painting is in reasonably good condition. Sold with a plain gilt frame. AF*
"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."

This painting is seemingly the best example of a composition that exists in a number of  versions.¹  It is possible that all of these reflect a lost composition by Rubens but Ludwig Burchard, who had seen the present painting when it was with Heinemann in Munich, wrote to a later owner, Christian Bruchet, in 1959, 'je suis sur [sic] que ni la composition ni l'execution soient de Rubens'.²  In a letter to another correspondent, a Dr Pénoyée, Paris, in 1955, Burchard raised the possibility tht the design was that of Van Thulden,'Personallement je suis convaincu que cette belle Allégorie n'est pas une invention de Rubens, mais l'invention du peintre Théodore Van Thulden'.³

1  Canvas, 149 by 174 cm., with S. Hartveld, Antwerp, 1936 (as J. Boeckhorst); canvas, 110 by 160 cm., Musée des Beaux-Arts, Dijon;
canvas, 135 by 153 cm., sale Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 22-24 May 1962, lot 579 (as Theodor van Thulden - said to have his monogram); canvas, 37.5 by 44.5 cm., whereabouts unknown, said by Didier Bodart to be Rubens's modello (see catalogue of the exhibition, Pierre-Paul Rubens, Tokyo - Yamaguchi - Tsu - Kyoto, 1985, pp. 47-48, no. 47); canvas, 137 by 152 cm., sale London, Christie's, 10 March 1978, lot 126 (as Jacob de Wit, said to have his monogram).
2  Information from the National Centrum voor Plastische Kunsten, Antwerp.
3  Information also from the National Centrum voor Plastische Kunsten, Antwerp.  It is not certain whether the painting to which Professor Burchard refers in this letter is the present painting or yet another version.