Lot 152
  • 152

Adriaen Jansz. van Ostade

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
bidding is closed

Description

  • Adriaen jansz. van Ostade
  • recto: two studies of seated peasants;verso: fragmentary sketch of peasants merry-making
  • Black chalk (recto);
    Pen and brown ink and wash over black chalk (verso), on gray-blue paper

Provenance

Bears unidentified collector's mark, lower right

Condition

Window mounted. Two horizontal creases across bottom of sheet. Some minor surface abrasion and a small filled hole, verso, lower centre. Some relatively light foxing towards top.
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.

Catalogue Note

Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg has kindly confirmed the attribution, in an e-mail dated 28th November 2011.  Adriaen's earliest figure studies in chalk seem to date from the early 1640s, and the two energetic studies of a seated peasant on the recto of the present sheet can be compared with other examples from this period, now in Hamburg.1  Dr. Schnackenburg also points out that the sketchier of the two figures is very comparable with the unpublished figure study that is lot 155 in the present sale.

The peasant scene on the verso may possibly be slightly earlier in date, from the late 1630s; Dr. Schnackenburg compares it with the lively drawing of a drunken peasant being mocked, in Berlin.2  

1.  See B. Schnackenburg, Adriaen van Ostade, Isack van Ostade, Zeichnungen und Aquarellen, 2 vols., Hamburg 1981, nos. 45-47
2.  Ibid, no. 24