Isaac de Jouderville

Private Collection, Basel;
Wertheimer Collection, Paris;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, July 6, 1984, lot 26 (as Attributed to Jan Lievens), to Dreesman;
Dr. Anton C. R. Dreesman, Amsterdam;
His posthumous sale, London, Christie's, April 11, 2002, lot 535;
With Warren Walker;
From whom acquired by the present owner.

Leiden, Stedelijk Museum de Lakenhal, Rembrandt als Leermeester, June 1 - September 1, 1956, no. 12 (as a self portrait by Rembrandt).

K. Bauch, Der frühe Rembrandt und seine Zeit, 1960, p. 266, fig. 179A, note 185 (as an early self portrait by Lievens);
H. Schneider and R. Ekkart, Jan Lievens: Sein Leben und seine Werke, Amsterdam 1973, p. 356 (as a "Portrait of a Man, not by Lievens");
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schuler, Vol .5, p. 3104, no. 2104, reproduced.

Painting is oil on paper laid down on canvas (not panel as is stated in the printed catalogue). The paint surface has been generally well retained in the flesh tones. there is some thinness in the hair and in the darks of the costume and hat. there is a larger area of craquelure that runs horizontally across his cheeks and bridge of nose, but this is not too distracting. there is what appears to be an old repaired compound tear in the paper in the background to the right of his cheek and extending down the from the bottom edge of hat. ultraviolet light reveals scattered retouchings to collar and costume, in background (on aforementioned tear), on right and left sides of hat, an area at center of hat, and a few small retouches scattered on face and throat. In a dark wood frame with gilt inner trim, with a few minor scratches and nicks.
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.

Jouderville was one of Rembrandt's earliest pupils and was apprenticed to him from 1629 to 1631.  In 1631 he accompanied Rembrandt to Amsterdam, and may have continued to help the master with his portrait commissions in the following years.  The present work, which dates from the early 1630s, was previously attributed to Rembrandt and then to Lievens and described as a self portrait of each respectively.  Certainly the sitter's bushy hair and bulbous nose recall a number of early paintings and etchings by Rembrandt, such as the Tronie with Rembrandt's Features of c. 1629, in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Nuremberg or Self Portrait Frowning (Holl. 10)¹ of 1630, which has similar features but also the moustache that is characteristic of  his self portraits from about 1630 onwards.  However, there are enormous differences in the way Rembrandt portrayed himself, often dependent on whether he was making a true self portrait or had another purpose in mind, so it is extremely difficult for us to have an accurate sense of what he looked like.  It is clear that the present work was very much inspired by Rembrandt, but whether it is a portrait of him remains a question.

1.  Hollstein's Dutch and Flemish Etchings, Engravings and Woodcuts, vol. XIX, Rembrandt van Rijn, compiled  by C. White and K.G. Boon, cat. no. 10.