Lot Essay
Peter Schatborn has, upon inspection of the drawing, kindly confirmed the attribution.
Benesch compared it to a sheet of similar studies in the Albertina, Vienna (Benesch no. 693, fig. 879), which 'belongs to a considerable group of sketches after nature which show the transition from the curvilinear style of the pen drawings of 1643 to works of 1645... ', also comparing his nos. 694-8 and 743-743a. Another drawing directly comparable in handling to the present lot is that of a beggar in a brimmed hat, Benesch no. 693a, fig. 880, private collection.
In his Neuentdeckte Zeichnungen von Rembrandt and Collected Writings (loc. cit.), Benesch describes the present drawing in detail: 'The two rustic figures, shrouded in cloaks to protect themselves from the rain ..., on the other hand, are typical of Rembrandt's drawings of about 1644/45 (e.g. B. 693/693a) where the flourishes from the penned sheets had began to influence the movement of the chalk. The way the two men confront one another in the misty, autumnal athmosphere gives an enchanting feeling of intimacy, something frequently found in Rembrandt's works of the 'forties. The chalk glides over the paper with the utmost circumspection, only rarely marking a dark accent'.
Benesch compared it to a sheet of similar studies in the Albertina, Vienna (Benesch no. 693, fig. 879), which 'belongs to a considerable group of sketches after nature which show the transition from the curvilinear style of the pen drawings of 1643 to works of 1645... ', also comparing his nos. 694-8 and 743-743a. Another drawing directly comparable in handling to the present lot is that of a beggar in a brimmed hat, Benesch no. 693a, fig. 880, private collection.
In his Neuentdeckte Zeichnungen von Rembrandt and Collected Writings (loc. cit.), Benesch describes the present drawing in detail: 'The two rustic figures, shrouded in cloaks to protect themselves from the rain ..., on the other hand, are typical of Rembrandt's drawings of about 1644/45 (e.g. B. 693/693a) where the flourishes from the penned sheets had began to influence the movement of the chalk. The way the two men confront one another in the misty, autumnal athmosphere gives an enchanting feeling of intimacy, something frequently found in Rembrandt's works of the 'forties. The chalk glides over the paper with the utmost circumspection, only rarely marking a dark accent'.