Attributed to Abraham Van Dyck

D. Neyman, Amsterdam;
The Marquess of Lansdowne,
his sale, London, Sotheby's, 25 February 1920, lot 57 (as Rembrandt);
sale, New York, Anderson Gallery, 2 March 1926 (F. Leverhulme and other collections), lot 253 (as Rembrandt);
acquired by John and Alice Steiner in 1982,
by descent to the present owner

New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, and elsewhere, Old Master Drawings from the Collection of John and Alice Steiner, 1986-87, no. 71

W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, vol. 3, New York 1979, p. 1262, no. 578^xx (as Attributed to Van Dyck)

Laid down. Overall in good condition. Tips of the upper left and right corners are missing and have been made up. A few other small abrasions/losses in the upper section that have been made up. Medium still very strong and the drawing still retains atmospheric quality. Sold in a carved and gilded 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.
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.

The drawing was engraved in reverse by Captain W. Baillie in 1767, under the title Histoire touchante, as after Rembrandt.

Abraham van Dyck seems to have been a pupil of Rembrandt around 1650, at the same time as Willem Drost and Nicolaes Maes.  A small group of drawings has been attributed to him, based on two documentary sheets: a signed study of a young woman, in Bremen, and a drawing of an Old Woman with a Bible, in the Pierpont Morgan Library, New York, which is connected with a painting by the artist.¹ The delicate pen lines combined with extensive, broad washes and free chalk underdrawing are typical of the drawings that have been given to van Dyck, and the subject taken from the Book of Tobit also implies contact with Rembrandt at the moment, around 1650, when he was particularly interested in this text as a source for his images.

1.  Sumowski, op. cit., nos. 572 and 571, respectively