A Fine Line: Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries

Rembrandt School

The Adoration of the Shepherds

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Auction Closed

July 7, 10:53 AM GMT

Estimate

6,000 - 8,000 GBP

Lot Details

Description

Rembrandt School

c.1650

The Adoration of the Shepherds

Pen and brown ink and wash over traces of black and red chalk; arched top

242 by 238 mm

Laid down to an old card backing and subsequently hinged to an old decorative mount. There is an old loss to the upper right corner as well as to the lower left corner. The loss to the lower left must date to the 18th Century at the latest, as it bears three old collectors marks from this century. There are some minor abrasions to the extremities and some old repaired tears. The ink and wash has sunk in some areas of the sheet and there is some staining to the upper half of the sheet. The drawing remains in very legible condition throughout. Sold unframed.

"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."

Johann Jakob Haid (1704-1767), Augsburg and London;
Benjamin West (1738-1820), London (L.419);
Sir Thomas Lawrence (1769-1830), London (L.2445);
William Esdaile (1758-1837), London (L.2617), with his accession date and attribution in brown ink, verso: 1805 WE Rembrandt;
probably his sale, London, Christie's, 17 June 1840, lot 70 (Rembrandt, 'THE ADORATION OF THE SHEPHERDS, one of whom carries a lantern, No. 67 — a fine composition ; pen and bistre; from B. West's collection')

This rather grand drawing, with its remarkable, distinguished provenance, is one of a number of variants of a 1646 composition by Rembrandt, now in Munich, which inspired a variety of paintings and prints, executed by the pupils working in Rembrandt's studio during the later 1640s and 1650s.¹ The most notable of these are the painting of the same year, long thought to be by Rembrandt himself, in the National Gallery, London², and drawings by Samuel van Hoogstraten (at the British Museum³, in Hamburg⁴ and elsewhere), Barent Fabritius (in Rotterdam⁵), and Nicolaes Maes (in Bayonne and Rotterdam). A very closely related central motif also reappears in a 1658 painting by Maes, in Montreal⁶, which seems related to the artist's drawing in Rotterdam.

The present drawing should therefore be considered another manifestation of the powerful influence of the Munich painting on the works produced by Rembrandt's many gifted pupils of the 1640s and '50s.

The ownership of the drawing by Johann Jakob Haid is proved by the existence of a mezzotint, clearly after the present drawing, executed by his son, Johann Elias Haid.⁷

1. Munich, Alte Pinakothek, Inv. no. 393

2. Inv. NG47

3. Inv 1895,0915.1203

4. Inv. 22050, also from the William Esdaile Collection

5. Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Koenigs Collection, inv. R 72 (PK)

6. Inv. 1965.1520

7. London, British Museum, inv. 1895,0915.1429