Circle of Peter Paul Rubens

Probably John, 1st Earl Spencer (1734-1783);
George John, 2nd Earl Spencer (1758-1834) (L.1530);
probably his sale, London, T. Phillipe, 10-17 June 1811, lot 692 ("Rubens: An old man's head with a large beard, red and black chalk, very fine.");
Private Collection, Belgium;
sale, Paris Christie's 15 November 2006, lot 77 (as Flemish School, 17th Century)

Hinged to the mount at upper margin. There are two holes in the sheet, one in the man's hair and the other lower left just beside his elbow. There is an area to the left of the man's head where there is a brown/mauve staining, similar to foxing. Overall the medium remains fresh and image of the man still strong and vibrant.
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.
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.

Although the sitter's copious beard does make his identification rather hard, those features that can still be seen appear to correspond well with those of Eerryk de Putte, known as Erycius Puteanus (1574-1646), a notable historian and philologist at the University of Louvain, who also worked in Italy, where he had the honour of being the first foreign Doctor at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, Milan.  Around 1627-35, Van Dyck made a drawing of Puteanus, now in the British Museum, which served as the basis for his engraved portrait in the Iconography, and there is also a painting of roughly the same date, in Raleigh, North Carolina.¹  In the present drawing, the sitter is clearly somewhat older, and the most likely dating would seem to be circa 1638-39.

1.  See C. Brown, Van Dyck Drawings, exhib. cat., new York, Pierpont Morgan Library, and Fort Worth, Kimbell Museum, 1991, pp. 198-9, no. 56