- 143
Jacob Adriaensz. Backer
Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
bidding is closed
Description
- Jacob Adriaensz. Backer
- A half-length portrait of a young officer in a velvet cloak and metal breast-plate
- Black chalk heightened with white chalk on blue paper
Provenance
General Ivan Betzkoy, St Petersburg (L.2878a);
purchased from him in 1767 by Catherine the Great, and presented by her to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (of which Betzkoy was president);
transferred to the Hermitage in the early 20th Century;
their sale, Leipzig, C.G. Boerner, 29 April 1931, in lot 78 (with one other, as Govert Flinck);
anonymous sale, Munich, Karl and Faber, 29 November-1 December 1962, lot 165 (as Flinck);
Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 16 November 2005, lot 72
purchased from him in 1767 by Catherine the Great, and presented by her to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts (of which Betzkoy was president);
transferred to the Hermitage in the early 20th Century;
their sale, Leipzig, C.G. Boerner, 29 April 1931, in lot 78 (with one other, as Govert Flinck);
anonymous sale, Munich, Karl and Faber, 29 November-1 December 1962, lot 165 (as Flinck);
Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 16 November 2005, lot 72
Literature
J.W. von Moltke, Govaert Flinck, Amsterdam 1965, cat. no. D161, reproduced (as Flinck);
W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, vol I, New York 1979, no. 57x, reproduced (as Backer)
W. Sumowski, Drawings of the Rembrandt School, vol I, New York 1979, no. 57x, reproduced (as Backer)
Condition
Hinged to mount at upper margin. Scattered brown staining, more concentrated at lower half of sheet. A cluster of tiny redish brown stains around his extended hand. Losses at the four corners of the sheet, on the verso japan paper has been applied around the edges of the sheet for support and to make up losses recto. Chalk however remains fresh.
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 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.
Catalogue Note
Sumowski (loc.cit) rejected this drawing's traditional attribution to Flinck, and gave it instead to Backer, whose style is often very similar. He proposed a dating in the late 1640s, and compared the drawing with studies by Backer of a Youth Looking Upward with Raised Fist (Veste Coburg, Sumowski 52x) and a Man with Coat and Hat (Vienna, Sumowski 64x). It seems that Wolfgang Wegner at some point suggested that this drawing might be a study for a portrait of Admiral de Ruyter, but it has not been possible to substantiate this theory.