Karel Dujardin

Oscar Nottebohm, Antwerp, before 1935;
With Castendijk, Rotterdam, by 1966, from whom bought by the present owners.

Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Tentoonstelling van kunstwerken uit Antwerpsche Verzamelingen. Tweede reeks, 10 August - 22 September 1935, p. 57, cat. no. 198;
Rotterdam, C.P.A. and G.R. Castendijk, Tentoonstelling van Oude Meesters, 16 April - 8 May 1966, cat. no. 11, reproduced fig. 4 (as dated 1647).

C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke..., vol. IX, Esslingen/Paris 1926, p. 379, no. 311;
E. Brochhagen, Karel Dujardin. Ein Beitrag zum Italianismus in Holland im 17. Jahrhundert, dissertation, University of Cologne 1958, p. 57;
J.M. Kilian, The Paintings of Karel du Jardin 1626-1678, Amsterdam/Philadelphia 2005, p. 233, cat. no. B 27, reproduced plate 154 (under Problematic Attributions and wrongly reproduced).

The actual painting is warmer and less red in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has been fairly recently relined (glue). No major damages seem to be apparent. Some surface dirt and some minor retouched scratches. Some minor thinness throughout. The painted surface is covered with a fine craquelure pattern, which is a bit coarse in places. The painted surface appears to be in a reasonably good condition and is covered with a varnish layer which is a little bit dirty and discoloured. Discoloured retouchings are visible in the white horse and strengthenings in the darker parts of the composition. This is confirmed through inspection under UV light, the varnish layer fluoresces otherwise. Offered with a brown-black painted carved wooden frame, some small chips. (ML)
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According to Houbraken, Karel Dujardin, nicknamed 'Bokkebaard' , was taught by Nicolaes Berchem.¹  Dujardin's works are typical for the Bamboccianti painters, such as Pieter van Laer, Jan Miel and Johannes Lingelbach. Although he did not travel to Italy until 1675, Dujardin was already painting Italianate landscapes and genre scenes decades earlier. The present painting can stylistically be compared to a work, dated 1658, in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg (inv. no. 180),²  which has a similar setting and a brilliant use of chiaroscuro.  A second work, also dated 1658, in the Musée Fabre, Montpellier, shows almost the same composition in reverse (inv. no. 836-4-15).³ This work has recently been on view at the Karel Dujardin exhibition held at the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam from 14 December 2007 - 16 March 2008.

We are grateful to Jennifer M. Kilian for confirming the attribution to Dujardin on the basis of first hand inspection. Although this work was mentioned by Kilian in 2005 under "Problematic Attributions" (see Literature), she had at this point only seen an old photograph. After recent inspection, she now considers it to be a genuine work by the artist and dates it to circa 1658.  A copy is also mentioned, sold New York, Christie's, 11 January 1989, lot 5, which is mistakenly reproduced in her book as the present painting.

1. See A. Houbraken, De Groote Schouburgh..., Amsterdam 1721, vol. III, p. 43.
2. See Kilian, under Literature, p. 157, cat. no. 46, reproduced plate 39.
3. op.cit., p. 158, cat. no. 47, reproduced plate 40.