Head of a bearded man in profile to the right, with a subsidiary study of another head

Details

Cornelis de Vos (Hulst 1585-1651 Antwerp)
Head of a bearded man in profile to the right, with a subsidiary study of another head
with inscription 'Van Dyck 1599-1641' (verso)
black, red and white chalk, on buff paper
9 x 7 3/8 in. (228 x 197 mm.)

Provenance

J.F. Gigoux (L. 1164); Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 20-23 March 1882, part of lot 295 (as Van Dyck, 28 francs).
G.A. Barrion (L. 76).
M. Marignane (L. 1848).
Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, 25 February 1924, lot 64 (as Van Dyck).
Dr. A. Welcker, Amsterdam.
Anonymous sale; Christie's, London, 30 March 1971, lot 138 (as attributed to Jan Cossiers).

Literature

K. Van der Stighelen, 'Cornelis de Vos as a Draughtsman', Master Drawings, 27, 1989, p. 336 (as Cornelis de Vos ?).

Exhibited

Paris, Galerie Balzac, Exposition de dessins anciens XVe, XVIe et XVIIe siècles, 1923, no. 271 (as Van Dyck).
Amsterdam, De verzameling van Dr. A. Welcker, 1. Nederlandse tekeningen der zestiende en zeventiende eeuw, 1956, no. 138 (as De Vos).

Special Notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis.

Lot Essay

K. Van der Stighelen compares this drawing to a group of studies of heads in the Louvre attributed to de Vos by Frits Lugt (Inv. nos. 19917, 20200, and 21441) who associated them with portraits by the artist (Musée du Louvre. Inventaire général des dessins des écoles du Nord. Ecole flamande, Paris, 1949, II, nos. 1384 and 1386). De Vos' drawn portraits are characterised by precise definition of the sitter's physiognomy through deftly used parallel hatching.

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