Dr Barry Delany, Kilkenny (1815-1888), L.350; R. Edwyn Lyne (L.1697e); Sotheby's (London), 25 July 1951, lot 6a; purchased there by Colnaghi (London); purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), L.2228b, 11 January 1952 (£32); Witt Bequest 1952

Dutch drawings from the Witt Collection: Part 2: Other than landscape, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1976-77 (Nov.-Feb.)

Dutch drawings from the Witt Collection: Part 2: Other than landscape, Courtauld Gallery, London, November 1976 - Febr
cat. no. 45

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower left corner, brown ink, signed and dated by an unidentified hand (present on four other drawings): "G.T. Borch Fecit Anno 1673". Verso: lower left corner, brown ink (same as that of initials at lower right corner, and therefore possibly Lyne’s inventory number): "1208"; lower right corner, brown ink: "R.E.L." (not in Lugt, but probably initials of R. Edwyn Lyne). Mount (removed, in box from P&D), Recto: lower left, brown ink, Lyne's initials: “R.E.L”; lower centre, graphite: “signed + dated / This is surely by the same hand as the Gundroom Scene in the Éc. d. BA (Lugt, Cat. I. II), which acc. to L. is / an example of Gerard Ter Borch's earliest style as a draughtsman. The signature and date, however, is in the / same style as that of the Berlin drawing No. 5308 (dated 1630), which L. (Pr. Jahrb 1931, p. 72) attributes to / Gerard's sister Gesina Ter Borch (b 1633), holding the date to be false. The three possibilities are: / (1) This drawing, and that in the Éc. d. BA, are both by Gesina, + the signature + date are genuine. / (2) Both drawings are by Gerard, + Lugt is wrong in supposing the Éc. d BA drawing to be early. / (3) Both drawings are by Gerard, and this type of signature + date is false, in which case the drawings are both early / L. refers to a drawing dated 1670 in the de Grez coll., Brussels, which he says is also by Gesina //”; lower right, graphite, very faded, Colnaghi number and price: “A 18414 / TR/cx/- //”; lower right, ballpoint pen and blue ink, Witt number: “4580 / Gerard TERBORCH //”. Mount (removed, in box from P&D), Verso, printed in black ink, page from a newspaper: “[...]mely well chosen-the [...] Stock 100 [...]”[not fully transcribed; can be dated to February 1870 by its mention of the sale of the San Donato collection in Paris].

Collector's mark: Verso: lower left corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b); lower centre edge, brown ink: Barry Delany (L.350). Mount (removed, in box from P&D), Recto: lower right, stamped in blue ink: R. Edwyn Lyne (L.1697e).