Gerbrand van den Eeckhout

Graf Schimmelman (according to the Oldenburg Inventory of 1890);
Hudtwalcker-Wesselhoeft, Hamburg, before 1863;
Private collection of Grand Duke Von Oldenburg, before 1888;
His sale, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller, 25 June 1924, lot 126, sold for 675 guilders;
Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Frederik Muller, 13-15 December 1927, lot 5, bought by W. Duitz, for 650 guilders;
With P. Rosenthal, Berlin, circa 1930 (according to a note at the R.K.D., The Hague);
Anonymous sale, Brussels, Fiévez, 22/23 December 1950, lot 245.

G. Parthey, Deutscher Bildersaal, vol. 1, Berlin 1863, p. 397, no. 31;
W. Bode, Die Grossherzogliche Gemäldegalerie zu Oldenburg, Vienna 1888, p. 36;
Oldenburg Inventory, 1890, (inv. no. unknown);
A. von Wurzbach, Niederländisches Künstler-Lexicon, Amsterdam 1968 (reprint), p. 482;
R. Bangel, 'Gerbrand van den Eeckhout', in Thieme-Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Künstler, vol. X, Leipzig 1914, p. 356;
W. Sumowski, 'Gerbrand van den Eeckhout als Zeichner', in Oud Holland, vol. 77, 1962, no. 1, p. 18, reproduced p. 22, fig. 21;
R. Roy, Studien zu Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Vienna 1972,(dissertation), pp. 61, 223, no. 81;
W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, vol. III, New York 1979 and after, pp. 1360-1, 1614, vol. IV, p. 1800;
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler, vol. II, Landau-Pfalz 1983 and after, p. 730, cat. no. 416, reproduced p. 779.

The actual painting is a little darker and less red than the catalogue illustration suggests. The canvas has an old, effective relining. There's a minor tendency towards flaking to the lower left and a few tiny retouched paint losses, but otherwise, no damages are apparent. The paint layer appears nicely preserved, if a little thin in the background. There's some minor frame abrasion along the edges. Minor retouchings can be observed in the table cloth and in the wood trunks lower left. The paint surface is under a dirty varnish layer. Inspection under UV light reveals additional small scattered retouchings, e.g. in the woman's face, in the peasant's chest and feet, in the hair and beard of the satyr and in the background. Offered in a decorative gilt plaster and wood frame in fair condition.
"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."

A preliminary drawing for this work is in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg (inv. no. 29919) (fig. 1). The subject is taken from one of Aesop's fabels which tells the story of a man lost in the woods and found by a Satyr who gives him shelter. While in the woods the man blows in his hands to warm them up, explaining this to the Satyr. When in the Satyr's home, the man is given soup, in which he blows, to make it colder. The Satyr, confused by the man, who apparently can blow both hot and cold air, tells him he cannot be his friend.

Although Eeckhout became a pupil of Rembrandt in the 1630s, in this painting of 1653 he shows a strong influence of the Flemish artist Jacob Jordaens (1593-1678).  In this case Eeckhout was clearly  familiar with Lucas Vorsterman's print after a painting of Jordaens of the same subject now in the Künstmuseum, Göteborg (inv. no. A25). Another treatment of this subject by Eeckhout is in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm (inv. no. 418).¹

1. See. W. Sumowski 1983 and after under Literature, p. 731, under cat. no. 421.