Lot Essay
This picture derives from Rubens' celebrated Nymph and Satyr, which was possibly the painting in Rubens' estate inventory in 1640 that was presented as a gift to Salomon Nobeliers, Brussels, and is now in a private collection, Madrid. The original may have remained with Rubens to fulfil the dual function of serving as a model for copies by the studio and as part of the artist's collection. The existence of the nymph in the Madrid picture was only revealed in 1981 after overpainting was removed when the painting was restored in Paris.