The Death of Lucretia

Details

Circle of Ferdinand Bol (1618-1680)
The Death of Lucretia
pen and brown ink, brown ink framing lines
92 x 124 mm.

Provenance

Earl of Dalhousie (L. 717a).
W.R. Valentiner.
H. Becker, Dortmund.
Commerzbank, Dortmund.

Literature

W.R. Valentiner, 'Aus Rembrandts Häuslichkeit', Jahrbuch für Kunstwissenschaft, I, Leipzig, 1923, fig. 10 (as Rembrandt).
W.R. Valentiner, Rembrandt. Des Meisters Handzeichnungen, Berlin, 1925-34, II, p. XXXI, fig. 29 (as Jan Victors).
O. Benesch, Rembrandt, Werk und Forschung, Vienna, 1935, p. 23. (as Rembrandt).
F. Lugt, Inventaire Général Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 1950, under no. 494.
O. Benesch, The Drawings of Rembrandt, London, 1954, I, no. 117, fig. 120 (as Rembrandt).
W. Sumowski, Bemerkungen zu Otto Beneschs Corpus der Rembrandt-Zeichnungen, I, Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, VI, 1956-57, p. 257 (as Rembrandt).
W. Sumowski, Bemerkungen zu Otto Beneschs Corpus der Rembrandtzeichnungen, II, Bad Pyrmont, 1961, p. 4 (as Rembrandt).
O. Benesch, The Drawings of Rembrandt, London, (Enlarged edition 1973), no. 117, fig. 136 (as Rembrandt).
M. Bernhard, Rembrandt Handzeichnungen, Munich, 1976, pp. 162-3 (as Rembrandt).

Exhibited

Raleigh, North Carolina, Museum of Art, In Memory of W.R. Valentiner, Masterpieces of Art, 1959, no. 80.

Special notice

Christie's charge a buyer's premium of 20% (VAT inclusive) for this lot.

Sale room notice

The drawing has been slightly enlarged in the illustration.

Lot Essay

While Benesch was uncertain of the traditional attribution of this drawing to Rembrandt, Sumowski (op.cit., 1956-57, p. 257) was convinced and even described it as 'one of the most expressive originals' by Rembrandt. Benesch and Sumowski dated the drawing to the middle of the 1630s.
Lugt and Professor Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann were also doubtful of the attribution. Present experts share this doubt, while they believe that this drawing is contemporary to and from the immediate circle of Rembrandt.

Valentiner first referred to the Death of Lucretia for the subject, while others rather believe it to be a woman in labour.

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