Workshop of Sir Peter Paul Rubens

Petrus Franciscus van Schorel (1716-1778);
His sale, Antwerp, 7 June 1774, lot 6, to Van Merlen;
Philippe-Auguste Hennequin (1762-1833);
Thence by descent and from whom acquired by the present owner. 

H. Devisscher and H. Vlieghe, The Life of Christ Before the Passion: The Youth of Christ, in Corpus Rubenianum, Ludwig Burchard, Part V, vol. 1, 2014, p. 62, under cat. no. 10 (under copies, #2). 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This work has been restored and is in lovely condition. It is painted on a single piece of oak. There is an old crack in the wood running down the right side, which has attracted some glue on the reverse and a few dots of retouching on the surface. There are a few tiny spots of retouching around the edges. The restoration is well applied, and the condition is excellent throughout the remainder of the picture.
"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."

The composition of this lively work on panel follows that of Rubens' circa 1614 altarpiece in St. Paul's Church, Antwerp (fig. 1). This is one of Rubens' most successful interpretations of the Adoration of the Shepherds, as its essential composition was first taken up by him in yet an earlier, 1608 commission for the Oratorian church in Fermo. Straddling the visual line between oil sketch and finished ricordo, this particular work follows the final design of the Antwerp altarpiece most closely, while its more subdued coloring and overall palette recalls Rubens' technique from his Italian sojourn. 

This picture once belonged to the French Neo-classical artist Philippe-Auguste Hennequin (1762-1833). Hennequin trained under both Hughes Taraval and Jacques-Louis David, to whom his work is much indebted. It descended through Hennequin's family until it was recently acquired by the present owner.