Lot 187
  • 187

Govert Flinck

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 GBP
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Description

  • Govert Flinck
  • Study of a young man wearing a plumed hat, leaning over a table
  • Black and white chalk on blue paper;
    bears inscriptions, verso, upper centre: Baker, and lower left, in pencil: no. 208/Toorenvliet Jacob

Provenance

Heinrich Wilhelm Campe (1770-1862), Leipzig (L.1391);
H. Ehlers,
his sale, Leipzig, C.G. Boerner, 9 May 1930, lot 144;
Johannes Goldsche, Berlin (L.1310a, twice);
H. Brockman (according to pencil inscription on back of mount; bears unidentified mark, verso, L.3499, presumably his);
Prof. Dr. P. Kröker, Murnau;
With Galerie Arnoldi-Livie, Munich;
Maida and George Abrams collection, Boston, 2004-2014

Literature

J.W. von Moltke, Govaert Flinck 1615-1660, Amsterdam, 1965, pp. 196-97, no. D120;
W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, vol. 4, New York 1981, pp. 2010-11, no. 922x, reproduced;
P. Sutton, Drawings by Rembrandt, his students and circle, from the Maida and George Abrams collection, exh. cat., Bruce Museum, Greenwich, Connecticut, 2011-12, p. 170, no. A7, reproduced

Condition

Hinged to the mount at left side. Light vertical crease, c 1 cm in from left edge. Some light brown stains towards left. Paper a little discoloured throughout, with some very light foxing. Some very small tears at extreme edges. Chalk still reasonably fresh and strong. Sold in a modern dark wood Dutch-style frame.
"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."

Catalogue Note

Flinck was one of the most accomplished draughtsmen of all Rembrandt's pupils, and also had a highly successful career, cut short by his sudden death at the age of only 45.  Flinck studied with Rembrandt for one year, probably in 1635-36, shortly after Rembrandt had set himself up as an independent master in Amsterdam.  Arnold Houbraken, the chronicler of artist’s lives, tells us that Flinck absorbed his master’s manner so successfully that some of his pictures were mistaken for authentic Rembrandts and sold as such, but that after leaving Rembrandt’s studio, he deliberately sought to change his style.  By about 1642, Flinck had largely abandoned Rembrandt’s manner and adopted a more elegant style that took its inspiration from Flemish Baroque models. 

Most of Flinck’s drawings date from after his time with Rembrandt.  During the 1640s, he adopted the practice of drawing from nude and clothed models in black and white chalks on blue paper.  Many of these drawings were preparatory for paintings, but in the present case, no related painting has been identified.  Professor Sumowski compared this elegant figure study with two others, in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, and the Fondation Custodia, Paris, dating all three drawings to the late 1640s.

1.  Sumowski, op. cit., nos. 921x and 923x