Studio of Jacob Adriaensz. Backer

Collection Schwagermann, Schiedam, by 1937;
Anonymous sale, Düsseldorf, Düsseldorfer Auktionshaus, 14 June 2008, lot 370 (as Dutch, 17th Century).

The actual painting is a lot warmer and more green in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel consists of 2 planks, joined vertically, and is bevelled on all sides. A thin vertical split of approx. 15 cm. is running from the lower edge in the right corner, and a smaller, vertical one is visible in the upper right corner. The impasto and texture of the paint layer has been nicely preserved. There's a minor tendency towards flaking in the lower centre right. A few tiny retouched paint losses are visible in the nose of the boy on the left, in the green coat and collar of the boy on the right, and in the sky. Small retouchings can furthermore be observed in the sky, in the background upper centre, along the join and splits, and along the edges. The paint surface is under a dirty and discoloured layer of varnish, and there's some surface dirt. Inspection under Ultra-Violet light does confirm the aforesaid, but reveals no further retouchings. Offered in a decorative carved gilt plaster and wood frame, in good condition. (MW)
"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."

Children holding a bird's nest is a motif frequently used by Dutch painters when portraying children in a pastoral setting. As explained by McNeil Kettering, this attribute referred to the innocence of youth and the simplicity of natural life.¹ This motif may have found its way into Dutch art through Cesare Ripa's very influential Iconologia in which a bird's nest is used as an attribute for the concept of Innocence.²

A pair of related works by Jacob Backer depicting a young boy holding a bird's nest and a young girl with a flower garland are today in Bergamo.³ The symbolism of the pendant is quite straight-forward, since another attribute of Innocence is the flower garland, also mentioned in Ripa.⁴ Therefore, it is not implausible to assume that the present compositions of boys holding a bird's nest were originally accompanied by depictions of girls with flower wreaths.

Especially during the 1640s Backer and his workshop produced many representations of children often in rustic dress, both as tronies and as portraits. This and the following lot are good examples of such studio production.  

We are grateful to Fred G. Meijer, of the R.K.D., The Hague for suggesting and Peter van den Brink, of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum, Aachen, for confirming an attribution to the studio of Jacob Backer.

1. A. McNeil Kettering, The Dutch Arcadia, Pastoral art and its audience in the Golden Age, Montclair 1983, p.57.
2. C. Ripa, Iconologia, Rome 1603 (reprint New York 1970), p. 225.
3. See K. Bauch, Jakob Adriaensz Backer. Ein Rembrandtschüler aus Friesland, Berlin 1926, cat.no. 107-8, reproduced plate 15.
4. Ripa, op. cit., p. 255.