Jacques de Gheyn the Younger Antwerp 1565 - 1629 The Hague

N. Dhikheos, his mark (not in Lugt)

Laid down. Silhouetted above the figures. Otherwise good and fresh.
"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."

Jacques de Gheyn II is best known as a figure draughtsman and print designer, and the author of the famous series of preparatory drawings for the military manual, De Wapenhandelinghe.  Like his father, Jacques de Gheyn I, he was trained as a miniature and stained glass painter, but after the capture of Antwerp by Spanish troops in 1585 he moved to the northern Netherlands, first to Utrecht and then to Haarlem, where he studied under Hendrick Goltzius. 

This study, however, appears to date from a later period.  In its freedom of execution, vigorous penmanship, and also the intimacy of the subject, it may be compared to three drawings, all dated very late in de Gheyn's career: the recto of a double-sided sheet of studies in the Albertina, Vienna (inv. no. B.388^a), and two drawings illustrating couples in the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung, Munich, and a private collection, New York.¹

1. See I.Q. van Regteren Altena, Jacques de Gheyn three generations, vols. I-III, The Hague 1983, cat. no. 497, pp. 80-1, cat. no. 588, p. 95 and cat. no. 598, p. 96