Jacob Jordaens

A.P.E. Gasc (L.1131);
J. Rump, Copenhagen (according to inscription on previous mount, now lost)

Window mounted with Japan paper. Some minor losses and abrasions, especially towards edges, and a little light staining and surface dirt, but overall condition generally good. Sold in a modern Dutch-style brown 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.

Jordaens was clearly greatly taken by this subject, which comes from Aesop's Fables: over the course of his career, he and his studio depicted it in at least seven paintings, and d'Hulst listed a further seven drawings with the same subject, five by Jordaens himself, in Paris, Sacramento, New York, and elsewhere.¹ None of the other versions correspond to the present drawing in composition; the closest is perhaps the drawing in the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris.  Emanuelle Brugerolles' recent catalogue entry for that drawing is the most complete and extensive discussion of Jordaens' various treatments of the subject.² 

1.  R.-A. d'Hulst, Jordaens Drawings, 4 vols, London 1974, cats. A38, A51, A54, A200, A408, D30, D31, listed vol. 3, p. 647
2.  E. Brugerolles, Le Baroque en Flandres. Rubens, van Dyck, Jordaens, exh. cat., Paris, Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Rouen, Musée des Beaux-Arts, and Douai, Musée de la Chartreuse, 2010-12, cat. 11