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Recumbent lion

Maker

Workshop of
(artist)
1606-1669

Formerly attributed to
(artist)
1606-1669

Title

Recumbent lion

Date of Production

1600 - 1699

Medium

pen and brown ink, brown wash, oil paint on laid paper, the left edge made up, with brown ink framing lines, laid down; the paper is brown, unsure whether prepared with a brown wash or the result of ageing, light or acidity

Dimensions

Height: 13.7 cm
Width: 25.4 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.410

Mode of Acquisition

Count Antoine Seilern, bequest, 1978

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords

Label Text

Rembrandt's interest in the various poses of lions has been connected with a design for 'Daniel in the lion's den' (c. 1649-1650). He studied live North African Berber lions in Amsterdam and produced a number of pen-and-wash drawings. None of these is precisely comparable in technique to the drawing shown here; the awkward handling, especially in the area around the face, indicates the work of a pupil rather than of Rembrandt himself. Bernard Picart engraved this image for his 'Recueil de Lions' of 1729.

Provenance

Thomas Dimsdale, London (1758-1823), L.2426; Francis Egerton, 3rd Duke of Bridgewater (1736-1803); by descent to George Granville, 1st Duke of Sutherland (1758-1833); by descent to Lord Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere (1800-1857); his estate sale, Christie's (London), 26 June 1964, lot 75 (repr.); purchased there by Colnaghi (London) on behalf of Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978) (£6,825); Princes Gate Bequest 1978

Exhibition History

Captured on Paper, Animals in the Prints and Drawings Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 20/06/2002-11/08/2002

Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999

Drawings by Rembrandt in the Princes Gate Collection, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 02/07/1983-25/09/1983 ...More

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection B), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 29/01/1982-25/07/1982 ...Less

Literature

Material Evidence, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1998-1999

Drawings by Rembrandt in the Princes Gate Collection, Courtauld Galllery, 1983
cat. no. 26

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection B), The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1982
cat. no. 178 ...More

Schatborn, Peter, 'Van Rembrandt tot Crozat' in 'Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek', 1981
p. 26

Seilern, Count Antoine, Recent Acquisitions at 56 Princes Gate, London SW7, London 1971; VI
no. 410
pl. XIX
dated c. 1650

Christie's (London), Highly important paintings by old masters and a drawing by Rembrant., 26 Jun. 1964
lot 75
ill. ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: centre, very large, but unable to see clearly due to layers of paper and oil paint (could be a phoenix in a coat-of-arms, as seen in a Kupferstichkabinett drawing by anonymous Rembrandt school - image in file -and in a BM drawing Oo,9.105 - image also in file, similar to Heawood 200 and Churchill 499, both dated 1631).

Inscription: Verso (hidden under backing sheet, visible via transmitted light): upper centre edge, brown ink: “RVR”. Verso (backing sheet): lower left corner, brown ink: "ab" [or "a6"]; lower left edge, brown ink offset running in the wrong direction and unable to decipher.

Collector's mark: Verso (backing sheet): lower left, stamped in black (must have been written after the adjacent inscription): Thomas Dimsdale (L.2426).

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