Lot 345: JACQUES DES ROUSSEAUX | Portrait of a man, head and shoulders, wearing a blue velvet cap and gold chain

oil on oak panel

51 by 39.8 cm.; 20 1/8  by 15 5/8  in.

oil on oak panel

The panel is cradled, and there are no apparent splits. The paint surface is in overall good condition, with good quality impasto. It is not too dirty. Inspection under ultraviolet light shows a very uneven milky varnish which makes it difficult to distinguish older restoration. Certainly more recent restoration consists of very small scattered retouchings along the wood grain and along the lower margin. This lot is offered in a gilt wood frame with decorative mouldings, in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Hamburg, Kunsthalle, Leihausstellung aus Hamburgischem Privatbesitz, May 1925, no. 272, reproduced in the catalogue (as Rembrandt).

W. Bode and C. Hofstede de Groot, Rembrandt, 8 vols., Paris 1897-1905, p. 98, cat. no. 568, reproduced (as Rembrandt);
W.R. Valentiner, Rembrandt. Des Meisters Gemälde, Stuttgart/Leipzig 1908, pp. 210, cat. no. 555, reproduced (as Rembrandt);
Illustrated Catalogue of the Eleventh Series of 100 Paintings by Old Masters... being a portion of the Sedelmeyer Gallery, Paris 1911, p. 32, cat. no. 26, reproduced (as Rembrandt);
M.D. Henkel, Kunstchronik, 1915, vol. XXVI, column 379;
C. Hofstede de Groot, Werkverzeichnisse Rembrandt u. N. Maes. Beschreibendes und kritisches verzeichnis der Werke des hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts, vol. VI, Esslingen/Paris 1915, p. 184, cat. no. 386 (as Rembrandt);
H. Tietze, 'Ein neuer Rembrandtschüler: Jacques des Rousseau', in Kunstchronik, XXX, 1918/19, p. 560, u. Valentiner 1921, p. 125 (as Jacques des Rousseaux);
A. Bredius, Verslagen en Mededeelingen d. K. Akad. v. Wetenschappen, Afd. Letterkunde, 1919, p. 28 (as Jacques des Rousseaux);
W.R. Valentiner, Wiedergefundene Gemälde (Klassiker der Kunst), vol. 27, 1921, p. 125, reproduced plate 2 (as Jacques des Rousseaux);
A. Bredius, 'Le peintre Jacques des Rousseaux', in Gazette des Beaux-Arts, vol. LXIV, 1922, p. 1, reproduced p. 5 (as Jacques des Rousseaux and a 'self-portrait');
G. Pauli, 'Leihausstellung in der Kunsthalle zu Hamburg', in Cicerone, 1925, vol. 17, p. 578 (as Rembrandt);
H. Gerson, in U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der bildenden Kunstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart, vol. XXIX, 1935, p. 113 (as Jacques des Rousseax and a 'self-portrait');
W. Sumowski, Gemälde der Rembrandt-Schuler, vol. IV, Landau/Pfalz 1983, p. 2507, cat. no. 1685, reproduced p. 2521 (as Jacques des Rousseaux).

Johanna Ghys (widow of Pieter Anthony Bonenfant), Zoeterwoude;
Her sale, Leiden, Abraham Delfos, 19 April 1775, lot 1 (as Rembrandt);
With Martin H. Colnaghi, London (as Rembrandt);
Rodman Wanamaker, Philadephia (as Rembrandt);
With Charles Sedelmeyer, Paris, 1911, no. 26 (as Rembrandt);
E. Fischoff collection, Paris (his wax seal on the reverse);
Henry & Emma Budge, Hamburg (as Rembrandt);
Sale, Berlin, Graupe, Die Sammlung Emma Budge, 4 October 1937, lot 7 (as Jacques des Rousseaux), purchased by Schulz for 13,000 RM;
With Newhouse Galleries, Inc., New York;
Purchased from the above by the Kimbell Art Foundation, Fort Worth in 1951 (as Rembrandt);
Restituted by the above to the Emma Budge Estate in 2014.