JACOB JORDAENS | A Satyr with a Family of Peasants

Alfred Sensier, his sale, Paris, 10-15 December 1877, lot 318 (according to E. Calando's notes in the handwritten catalogue of his collection);
Emile Calando, Senr., Paris (L.837, with pencil inventory number, 1855 on reverse of old backing);
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2000, lot 58,
where purchased by the late owner

R.-A. d'Hulst, Jordaens Drawings, London 1974, vol. II, p. 467, cat. A408, vol. IV, fig. 428;
U. Heinen, 'Psyche, Satyrs, Philosophers. Jordaens and the wisdom of the Ancients', in Jordaens and the Antique, exh. cat., Brussels, Royal Museums of the Fine Arts of Belgium, and Kassel, Museum Fridericianum, 2012-13, pp. 136, 163, nn. 17, 21 

Laid down on old backing. One or two minor wrinkes in the paper, lower centre. One or two small dark spots towards upper right. Slight abrasions top left edge. Otherwise good condition. Sold in a modern 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. 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."

This typical and appealing drawing by Jordaens is one of a number of works by the artist in various media illustrating the story of the Satyr and the Peasant.  In the classical text, from the fables of Aesop, we read how the satyr, invited to dine with the peasant and his family, is astonished to see his host first blowing on his hands to warm them, then on his porridge to cool it, and the theme was adopted in the 17th-century Netherlands as an exemplary and proverbial illustration of how those who blow first hot and then cold are not to be trusted.  The theme became something of a favorite with Jordaens, as Ulrich Heinen described in the catalogue of the recent exhibition, Jordaens and the Antique (see Literature).  D'Hulst, who knew the drawing only from an old photograph, dated it circa 1650-55. He also commented that it seemed to be rather rubbed, and retouched in pen and ink, a judgement that appears unduly harsh, reflecting the poor quality of the photograph at his disposal; Jordaens himself did on occasion add accents in pen to drawings largely executed in chalk and wash and there seems no reason to think that the pen lines in this drawing, which seem integral and structural, are not by his own hand.  One example of similar, autograph penwork is the drawing of the very same subject as this, in the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts, Paris.<sup>1 

1.</sup>  D'Hulst, op. cit., cat. A51