Lot 34: Portrait of Josias van Herrewijn (1584-1652), half-length, in a black costume with a 'molensteenkraag', in a feigned oval stone window

Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck (Haarlem 1600/3-1662)
Portrait of Josias van Herrewijn (1584-1652), half-length, in a black costume with a 'molensteenkraag', in a feigned oval stone window
signed 'JVERSPRONCK' (lower right); dated and inscribed with the sitters age 'AETATIS 51 ANo 1635' (centre right)
oil on panel
83 x 65 cm.

R.E.O. Ekkart, Johannes Cornelisz. Verspronck, Haarlem, 1979, pp. 70, 140, no. 5, illustrated, with incorrect literature and provenance until 1920.

Anonymous sale; Kende, Vienna, 5 November 1920, lot 88.
D. Back; Christie's, London, 2 July 1928, lot 147.
F.E. Short; Sotheby's, London, 19 November 1952, lot 37 (£ 8 to Spiller).
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 2 May 1980, lot 121, with incorrect provenance, until 1920.
with Douwes, Amsterdam, 1980.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 15 November 1983, lot 64, with incorrect literature and provenance, until 1920.
with E. Lingenauber, Düsseldorf, 1984.
Anonymous sale; Glerum, The Hague, 4 February 1991, lot 67, with incorrect literature and provenance until 1920.

Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €5,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €5,001 and €400,000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €400,000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.
There are two versions of this portrait, the present lot and the picture in the Hallwyl collection, Stockholm (Hallwylska malerisamlingen, 1997, pp. 228-9, no. 149, illustrated). At the time Professor Ekkart was working on the monograph of the artist (op. cit), he was unaware of this and the provenances of both pictures were confused. He believes both versions to be autograph and the existence of both pictures can be explained, in his view, by the fact that a second version was executed as a gift for the sitter's daughter who married in 1635.

Josias van Herrewijn, son of Marten Herrewijn and Laurenske de Koningh, was a merchant in Bremen and Haarlem. In 1607 he married first Sara de Haze (1577-1614) and later in 1617 Sara Sas.

We are grateful to Professor R.E.O. Ekkart for his help in cataloguing this lot.