GODFRIED SCHALCKEN | Portrait of a young lady as Diana attended by her nymphs, in a wooded setting with dog at lower right

Sale T.P.C. Haag, The Hague, 21 December 1812, no. 4, for 70 florins, to Leesbergen;
Theo Stokvis, before 1938;
For whom stored in depot of Gemeente Museum, the Hague, inv. no. 42-38, 1938 - 13 August 1948, at which date returned to owner;
Schaeffer Gallery, New York, by 1956.

C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, translated and edited by E.G. Hawke, London 1913, vol. V, p. 330, no. 71a;
T. Beherman, Godfried Schalcken, Paris 1988, p. 119, cat. no. 32, reproduced;
G. Jansen, "Additions to Godfried Schalcken's oeuvre as a draftsman", in Hoogsteder Mercury vol. 13/14, 1992, pp. 77 - 78, reproduced p. 78, fig. 8;
G. Jansen, in A.K. Wheelock (ed.), “Diana and Her Nymphs in a Clearing”, in The Leiden Collection Catalogue, New York 2017, https://www.theleidencollection.com/archive/

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 clearly not been cleaned for many years, but it is in very good condition. The canvas has an old lining. The paint layer seems to be stable, although the cracking is slightly raised in the lower center. No retouches are visible under ultraviolet light due to the old varnish. Although there may well be a few minor retouches that become apparent when the picture is cleaned, for instance in the lower right corner, the condition is generally remarkably good. The artist's fine details remain completely undisturbed.
"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 historiated portrait features a young woman as Diana with her companions as nymphs in a low-lit wooded setting. Guido Jansen published a ricordo drawing of this portrait in 1992, which has remained in private hands for most of its existence. The primary sitter holds a bow and arrow, attributes of the hunting goddess, and stands in the same position as used by Schalcken in his portrait of Magdalena de la Court as Diana, probably completed a few years before the present work.¹ Schalcken produced at least three larger history paintings of Diana and her Nymphs in a Clearing, indicating that the artist was familiar with the iconography from Ovid's Metamorphosis and perhaps had a special connection to the theme. Having studied theology in his father's Latin School in Dordrecht, Shalcken presumably could read Ovid's text in Latin, not that this was necessary, because the artist could readily consult Karel van Mander's commentary on Ovidian themes in his 1604 Schilder-boeck.

A pupil first of Samuel van Hoogstraten in Dordrecht, then of Gerard Dou in Leiden, Schalcken was--along with Adriaen van der Werff--the premier fijnschilder (refined painter) of the last quarter of the 17th century. The small canvas conveys Schalcken’s refined technique and mastery of texture and light: the elegance of the lady’s upright hairstyle, known as a la fontange, and her shimmering, flowing drapery provide a foil for the agitated hunting dog at lower right.


1. See T. Beherman 1988, cat. no. 66. Beherman dates Magdalena de la Court's portrait to 1676 - 1679.