Studio of Gerard van Honthorst

Anonymous sale, Vienna, Dorotheum, 28 November 1967, lot 2 (as by Baburen).

Wiesbaden, Museum Wiesbaden, 5 Sammler - 5 Meinungen, 8 April - 27 May 1973.

Weltkunst, 1 November 1967, p. 1107 (advertisement);
I. Gaskell, The Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. Seventeenth-Century Dutch and Flemish Painting, London 1989, pp. 190-1, note 24;
B. Nicolson, Caravaggism in Europe, Turin 1989, vol. I, p. 126, under cat. no. 1274, as a near replica;
J. Judson and R. Ekkart, Gerrit van Honthorst 1592-1656, Ghent 1999, pp. 188-9, under cat. no. 239, no. 1.

The actual painting is slightly more yellow in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas is relined. The paint surface has somewhat flattened and is somewhat thin in the background and darker hues, but is overall in fair condition. No damages are visible to the naked eye, except for some retouched paint losses along the left edge.The varnish layer is transparent. Inspection under UV-light reveals retouchings in the feathers, hat and hair, the figure's right hand sleeve and shoulder, his right hand and a few smaller ones in the face and upper body of the figure. Offered in a modern parcel gilt frame, inlaid with faux tortoise shell, in good condition. (JD)
"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 listed in Judson and Ekkart's monograph as a pastiche of Honthorst's originals in Mexico City, Museo de San Carlos and Lugano, Thyssen-Bornemisza Foundation respectively.¹ The gesture of the pointed finger towards the wine glass is borrowed from the painting in Mexico City, while the bare shoulder comes from the painting in Lugano. Judson, who only knew the work from a catalogue illustration, has suggested that this work was painted during the first half of the 17th Century by an artist who knew the Honthorst originals, perhaps by a member of Honthorst's workshop or by one of his pupils. The high quality of the work suggests the involvement of a talented painter, who may have worked under direct supervision of the master himself.

1. See Judson and Ekkart under Literature, pp. 188-92, cat. nos. 239 and 242, reproduced plates 136 and 139.