Suiveur de Jacob de Gheyn II

Aimé Charles Horace His de la Salle (L.1333)

A stain at the upper left masking inscription (the ink has bled into the paper). Another mark in the hair of the figure to the lower left, and a light stain in the lower right corner.
"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."

Les visages très caractéristiques d'hommes décrits dans cette étude ont été empruntés à trois différentes gravures d'Albrecht Dürer réalisées vers 1497 : Le bain public, La Sainte Famille aux trois lièvres, et Samson tuant le lion. Dürer insérait parfois de réels portraits dans ses gravures. On y retrouve des contemporains du maître, ou encore son propre portrait, et il semble que ce soit précisément cet intérêt pour la personnification et l'expression des modèles qui ait conduit notre artiste à en faire le sujet d'une étude, choisissant de combiner ces quelques figures sur la même feuille, comme pouvait le faire Jacob de Gheyn II.


STUDIES OF MEN'S HEADS

Pen and brown ink over traces of red chalk;
bears illegible inscription upper left

The highly distinctive faces of the men depicted in this study have been borrowed from three different prints that Albrecht Dürer executed around 1497: The Public Bath, The Holy Family with Three Hares, and Samson Killing the Lion.  Dürer sometimes included real life portraits in his prints.  We often find in them the faces of his contemporaries, or even his own likeness, and it seems that it was precisely this interest in the personification and the expression of his models that led the present artist to devote this study to the subject, choosing to combine several figures on the same sheet, just as Jacob de Gheyn II could do.