Attributed to Adam van Noort

Charles Gasc, Paris (L.543);
Louis de Gassi, Paris (L.1729);
bears another unidentified and truncated collector's mark, lower left

Attached at the four corners of the sheet. Overall in very good condition. Some light brown staining in the lower right corner and also along the upper margin. Otherwise pen and ink and wash remain 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.

The attribution to Rubens's teacher Adam van Noort was kindly suggested by Ger Luijten.  Relatively few drawings by Van Noort are known, but the pivotal sheet in Rotterdam representing Minerva instructing Pictura, which is signed and dated 1598, shows considerable similarities of handling and facial types.¹  A connection can also be made with a print by Gillis van Breen after Van Noort, which shows a very similar, elegant young couple walking through a landscape.²

^1. Rotterdam, Boijmans van Beuningen Museum, inv. MB 1767; see Bosch to Bloemaert, Early Netherlandish Drawings in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Rotterdam, exh. cat., Paris, Fondation Custodia, Rotterdam & Washington D.C., 2014-15, no. 64
^2. F.W.H. Hollstein, Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts c.1450-1700, vol. III, Amsterdam 1950, p. 204, no. 82