Follower of Sir Anthony van Dyck

The Chevalier J.B. Antoine (d.1691), Post Master General in Antwerp (his seal affixed to the reverse), in whose posthumous Inventory of 1691 it appears as no. 60: 'Een schetse Kersnacht van van Dyck Fl. 72' ('A sketch of the Nativity by Van Dyck, 72 guilders');
With the Hallsborough Gallery, London, by 1957;
Purchased from the above by the father of the present owner in the same year for £3,000.

Kings Lynn, Fermoy Art Gallery, Anthony van Dyck, 29 July - 10 August 1963, no. 19 (as Van Dyck);
Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts,  Le Siècle de Rubens, 1965, no. 50 (as Van Dyck).

J. Denucé, De Antwerpesche ‘Konstkamers’. Inventarissen van Kunstverzamerlingen te Antwerpen in de 16 en 17 eeuwen, Antwerp 1932, p. 356;
'Fine paintings of Four Centuries at the William Hallsborough Gallery, London', in Connoisseur, May 1957, pp. 248-9;
E. Duverger, Antwerpse Kunstinventarissen uit de zeventiende eeuw , Brussels 1984, vol. XII, p. 91;
E. Larsen, The Paintings of Anthony van Dyck, Freren 1988, vol. II, p. 276, no. 683 (as Van Dyck);
S. J. Barnes, N. de Poorter, O. Millas, H. Vey, Van Dyck. A complete catalogue of the paintings, London 2004, p. 248 (as not by Van Dyck).

The panel is cradled and is flat. To the naked eye the paint surface appears in good condition, with the impasto still quite vibrant. An old crack or join runs horizontally just above the centre. Inspection under UV light reveals retouchings along the join/crack and other scattered strengthenings and retouchings, for example along the craquelure. Offered in a carved and gilt wood frame in good 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. Illustrations in the catalogue may not be actual size. Prospective purchasers are reminded that, unless the catalogue description specifically states that a stone is natural, we have assumed that some form of treatment may have been used and that such treatment may not be permanent. Our presale estimates reflect this assumption.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This painting has been considered in the past as a preliminary oil sketch for Van Dyck's altarpiece of 1631-2, painted for the Confraternity of Our Lady for their new altar in the Onze-Liève-Vrouwekerk in Dendermonde. Another version of this sketch, in oil on paper, was sold London, Christie's, 9 July 2002, lot 36, with an attribution to Jan Boeckhorst. The Chevalier Jean-Baptiste Anthoine was an avid collector of Van Dyck's work, for the inventory of his collection in Antwerp lists no fewer than thirty-five paintings by or attributed to his hand. These included, for example, his sketch of Rinaldo and Armida in the National Gallery in London, and his Portrait of the artist Theodoor Rombouts (1597-1637) and his wife Anna, today in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich.