Jacques de Gheyn II

Possibly Van Duysel Collection, sale, The Hague, 11 October 1784, lot 1375 ('A seated woman with a child');
Dr. Barry Delany (d.1888), Kilkenny (L.350),
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 5 June 1872, (as Parmigianino);
with E. Schapiro, Paris;
private collection, France

I.Q. van Regteren Altena, Jacques de Gheyn, Three Generations, 3 vols., The Hague/Boston/London 1983, vol. 2, p. 24, no. 16, reproduced vol. 3, p. 227, pl. 485

Glued in place along the right and left margin. There is a small loss to the sheet between the arm and right hand of the old woman. There is a small tear to the lower right corner. Pen and ink 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. 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."

The subject of this powerfully executed, late drawing by de Gheyn remains a little uncertain, as does the nature of the object beside the child's stomach (identification of which would surely help clarify the subject).  Van Regteren Altena (loc. cit.) considered that it might be a bottle of the type used to give milk to new-born lambs, but then went on to suggest that the subject could be the one given here.  There are also, however, clear similarities, both conceptual and stylistic, with pure genre drawings by the artist such as the sheet with two studies of a mother breast-feeding a baby, recently sold from the van Regteren Altena Collection.¹  Altena considered the 'interplay of wild lines' seen here as characteristic of de Gheyn's very late style, and also noted that they are reminiscent of certain works by Jan van de Velde dating from around the same time.  Another late drawing by de Gheyn, showing the same extremely energetic penmanship, is the High Priest and his Servant, in Berlin.²

1.  Van Regteren Altena, op. cit., no. 593; sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 13 May 2015, lot 105
2.  Idem, no. 53