Philips Koninck

Private collection, England,
sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 1 December 1986, lot 55;
with Bob P. Haboldt & Co.

Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is some very minor surface dirt and staining to the sheet and the ink has very fractionally sunk into the sheet in the areas where it has been most densely applied. The drawing is in fundamentally good condition throughout, with the pen and ink medium strong. Sold in a wooden 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.

In the 1986 sale catalogue, it was noted that Professor Werner Sumowski had confirmed the attribution, and would include this drawing in a forthcoming supplement to his Drawings of the Rembrandt School, but no such supplement was ever published.  Koninck was one of the most individual draughtsmen amongst the artists in the immediate orbit of Rembrandt, and the distinctive combination of energetic, almost frenzied line work alternating with surprisingly delicate treatment of certain details - here the faces - is characteristic of his style.  Very comparable in this regard is the stylistically similar drawing depicting Daniel Proving Susanna's Innocence, in the British Museum, which is signed and dated 1658.¹  Most probably, the present drawing also dates from the 1650s. ^1.  London, British Museum, inv. no. 1946,0713.158