Attributed to Jan van Kessel the Elder

Minor buckling of the vellum surface. Light staining in the four corners, presumably from previous mounting, mainly visible from the reverse. Some very light stains and surface dirt, but overall condition otherwise extremely good.
"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 sheet of superbly refined studies of butterflies and a moth belongs to a Northern European tradition of natural history drawing that originates from mediaeval manuscript painting, and has its first flowering as an independent artistic genre in the work of Dürer.  In the 17th century, one of its more distinguished exponents was Jan van Kessel the Elder, the grandson of Jan Breughel the Elder.  Only a handful of sheets of studies of insects like this are known by van Kessel; one fine example, also on vellum, was sold in 1976¹, and another is in the Getty Museum.²  Comparison with those two sheets of studies suggests that the present work might well also be by van Kessel.

1. Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 3 May 1976, lot 187
2. N. Turner, L. Hendrix & C. Plazzotta, The J. Paul Getty Museum, European Drawings 3, Los Angeles 1997, p. 214, no. 87