Jacob Duck

Antoine-César de Choiseul-Praslin;
His deceased sale, 9 May 1808, for 1,025 francs, to Lafontaine;
Galerie Gustav Ritter Hoschek von Mühlheim, Prague, 1907, cat. 28;
Leo Spik, Berlin, 26-27 November 1957, lot 95;
With Robert Noortman, Maastricht, 1988;
With Waterman Gallery, by whom anonymously sold, New York, Sotheby's, 14 January 1994, lot 26:
There purchased by Bernard Palitz. 

Le trésor de la curiosité tiré des catalogues de vente de tableaux , Paris 1858, vol II., p. 244;
N. Salomon, Jacob Duck and the Gentrification of Painting, Ghent 1998, cat. no 48, reproduced plate II.

The following condition report has been provided by Karen Thomas of Thomas Art Conservation LLC., 336 West 37th Street, Suite 830, New York, NY 10018, 212-564-4024, info@thomasartconservation.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. A very well-preserved picture that displays only minor retouches, visible under ultraviolet illumination, to compensate for scattered small losses following the horizontal wood grain. The rug draped over the table appears to exhibit some degree of typical age-related fading in the red lake pigment. The wood panel support has been thinned and a cradle applied to the reverse, and a later cross-grain alteration was made to the cradle at some later point. Even with its moderately discolored varnish, the picture presents itself nicely. Cleaning would reestablish the full tonality of the painting, however the painting could be hung in its current state.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This signed painting is a characteristic example of Jacob Duck’s use of domestic scenes as a vehicle for social commentary. Originally trained as a goldsmith, Duck began his career at what was then considered the advanced age of 21. He modeled his style on Amsterdam artists such as Pieter Codde and Willem Duyster, concentrating on contemporary genre, particularly guardroom scenes (cortegaerdjes) such as this one.

Here, the military officer at the left looks directly at the viewer but points to his left, directing our attention across the room where a notary is seated with an elderly couple. While notaries were frequently negatively depicted in 16th century Netherlandish imagery, this figure’s clearly rendered features, broad smile, and direct stare suggest that he is a protagonist in this scene.¹ The elderly couple seated behind him, painted more loosely with a monochromatic palette, appears to be receiving money from the notary.

Duck and other 17th century Dutch artists frequently employed figures in their paintings, such as the officer here, as moral instructors. The small number of figures engaged in a quiet moment of almsgiving in this scene asserts a growing concern for philanthropy in the Dutch Republic. It is also a noticeable deviation from another one of Duck’s favored subjects, boisterous merry companies, warning viewers of the ills of overindulgence.

Another version, with some differences, was sold by Lempertz in Cologne, October 30, 1907, lot 109 [oil on panel, 33 by 34 cm.], reproduced in the catalogue. 

1. N. Salomon, Jacob Duck and the Gentrification of Painting, Ghent, 1998, p. 131.