John the Baptist Preaching

Artist/Maker

Material / Technique

Dimensionsh x l: Mått 19,8 x 31,5 cm

Inventory numberNMH 284/1973 recto

AcqusitionDonated 1973 (through the estate of Pontus de la Gardie)

Other titlesTitle (sv): Johannes predikar i öknen Title (en): John the Baptist Preaching

DescriptionDescription: Black chalk, pen and brown ink, blue wash, 144 x 316 mm. Verso: Tobias and the Angel, pen and brown ink, grey wash. This drawing is on a separate piece of paper. The two drawings, recto and verso, are glued back to back. Watermark: None visible. Inscribed in the upper left corner, in pen and brown ink, 54, and in pencil, 237 de 53 – 403, a reference to De Ligne (below). Mark of J. G. De la Gardie (Lugt 2722a). In the lower right corner is a partly obliterated inscription in pencil, starting with an R. Verso (i.e. the second drawing): In the upper left corner, in pencil, inscribed Inconnus saints (as listed in the De Ligne catalogue) and numbered 1237. In the lower right corner, in pen and brown ink, No 4 / Hyllan XIII (De la Gardie); also, in pencil, the present inventory number. Both the penmanship and the figure types are similar to those of a drawing from the Houthakker Collection, attributed to Pieter Jansz. by Schapelhouman. Even more striking is the correspondence with a drawing in Munich, attributed to Andries Both, but more recently given to Jansz. (RKD files). In both drawings, the duct of the pen stroke and the manner of shading the forehead with a brush stroke are the same. The figure with a pointed nose on the right is very similar to the man leaning against a tree in the Stockholm drawing. The putti in the sky in Munich are similar to the little children to the right in our drawing. The faces of the males have long, square jaws. The inscription starting with an “R” on the recto is similar to the one on the Munich drawing, which reads “van Rijn”: The letter “R” is the same. According to Kurt Bauch, the Munich drawing belonged to the circle of Lastman. Wegner mentions a similar drawing in Frankfurt under Lastman’s name. An attribution to Lastman seems particularly possible for the “verso” of the present sheet, which could be compared to two drawings by that artist in Amsterdam, dated 1603. But the stylistic features are not incompatible with Isacz., who was much influenced by Lastman. Perhaps in this case a drawing by Lastman provided the model. [Magnusson, Dutch Drawings no. 210]

Collection

Geographical origin

MaterialPaper

TechniqueDrawing

Object category