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Old seamstress with a small child

Maker

(artist)
1591-1666

Title

Date of Production

(circa) 1623

Medium

traces of black chalk (seen under VSC), pen and brown ink on laid paper, with brown ink framing lines

Dimensions

Height: 23 cm
Width: 16.5 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.303

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

This charming scene shows a seamstress, identifiable by the spindle in her hair, with a young naked child. Standing on a large stone block, the infant holds on to the woman’s distaff and tries to engage her attention. The juxtaposition contains overtones of an allegory of youth and old age, evoking sympathy while gently caricaturing the two figures.

Provenance

Prosper Flury-Hérard, Paris (1804-1873), L.1015; Jules-Alexandre Duval le Camus, Paris (1814-1878), L.1441; F.R. Meatyard (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), n.d. (19 shillings); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Guercino - Mind to Paper, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 22/02/2007-13/05/2007

Guercino - Mind to Paper, J Paul Getty Museum & Los Angeles & California & USA, 24/10/2006-21/01/2007

Drawings by Guercino and other Baroque Masters, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 01/02/1977-01/03/1977

Literature

Guercino: Mind to paper, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles; Courtauld Gallery, London, 2006-2007 Los Angeles, 2006
no. 5
Illus. p. 30

Drawings by Guercino and other Baroque masters, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1977, 1977
p. 21

Inscriptions

Watermark: centre: a coat of arms - shield containing a weapon of some kind at a diagonal (no match found in Briquet, Heawood or Churchill).

Inscription: gúarcino da cento

Collector's mark: collector's mark of Jules-Alexandre Duval le Camus (L.1441)

Collector's mark: collector's mark of Prosper Flury-Hérard (L.1015), No. 32

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