Jan Victors

"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."

An early work by the artist, this painting was executed in the same year as his Young Woman at an open window in the Louvre, Paris.¹  Victors was most productive between 1645 and 1655, but already in these paintings we see an advanced understanding of three-dimensional form and an interest in applying gesture. Furthermore, since its inclusion in the 2006 sale, this painting has been cleaned to reveal the allegorical homo bulla figure to the right of the family group, and the putti upper right, which anticipate the theatricality and sophistication of Victors' later portraits, such as the 1652 portrait of The De Witte Family as Isaac and Rebecca with Jacob and Esau in a German private collection.²

1. See W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schüler, vol. IV, Landau/Pfalz 1983, p. 2610, cat. no. 1785, reproduced p. 2685.
2. Ibid., cat. no. 1755, reproduced p. 2654.