Attributed to Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam)
Lot 281

Attributed to Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam)

A bearded old man leaning on a window sill

Closed26 January 2011

Estimate

USD 30,000–40,000

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Attributed to Rembrandt Harmensz. van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam)
A bearded old man leaning on a window sill
red chalk, pen and brown ink, brown wash on paper washed light brown, brown ink framing lines
4½ x 4½ in. (116 x 116 mm.)

Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, London, 21 March 1973, lot 40, as Ferdinand Bol (to Russell for Dreesmann).
Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann (inv. no. B-29); Christie's, London, 11 April 2002, lot 652.

Specialist note

Although acquired by the late collector Dr. Anton C.R. Dreesmann as a work by Ferdinand Bol, this drawing closely relates to drawings by Rembrandt of the late 1630s. The use of iron-gall ink on finely laid paper can be seen in other drawings by Rembrandt of this period.
The almost sculptural quality of the wash which was applied with a dry brush creates volume and form and can be seen in other works by Rembrandt of this period, such as Saskia sitting up in bed (Benesch 255; Kupferstichkabinett, Dresden) and Saskia asleep in bed (Benesch 281a; Ashmolean Museum, Oxford).
In the lower right corner there is a fragment of another composition, suggesting that this sheet has been cut at some point, although the remainder of the sheet has never been identified.
The current attribution is not universally accepted, with some scholars agreeing with Sumowski's attribution to Bol.