The original, on canvas, 73 x 57 cm, is in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich, since its opening in 1836. It originally formed part of the collection of King Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz in the early 18th century which as a whole was incorporated in to the Bavarian Royal collection in 1806

Georg Petel (circa 1601-1636) was a famous German sculptor working in Augsburg. In the early 1620's he travelled to Italy and the Low Countries, where he befriended Rubens and Van Dyck. The latter painted Petel's portrait when they were both in Rome in 1623 (see E. Larsen, Anthony van Dyck, I, 1988, p. 213). The unidentified coat of arms in the present lot does not appear in the original

See illustration