Lot 19: *Anthonie van Borssum (1631-1677)

*Anthonie van Borssum (1631-1677)
a dog chasing a family of ducks.
Pen and brown ink over black chalk.
70 by 102mm.
Provenance:
Freiherr M. von Heyl zu Herrnsheim (L.2879), his sale, Stuttgart, Gutekunst, 25-26 May 1903, lot 53, 5 Marks, to S. Graf von Kalckreuth;
by descent to his granddaughter, Anna (wife of Franz Koenigs).
This drawing is typical of van Borssom's animal studies, in which ducks and other fowl are frequently represented. Drawings of families of ducks, geese and swans were sold, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 10 May 1994 (lot 94), 14 November 1988 (lot 118) and 29 October 1979 (lot 166) respectively, while another comparable drawing, of A Dog Barking at a Bird of Prey which is carrying off a chicken, is in the Louvre (Inv. RF 728; see E. Starckey, Rembrandt et son ecole, dessins du Musee du Louvre, exh.cat., Paris, Louvre, 1988-9, cat.120).