It is difficult to judge this drawing from its present appearance. When inventoried in 1898, it was registered as by Jan de Bray with a question mark. Von Moltke considered Jan’s hand to be doubtful, and Giltaij completely rejected it, with no alternative offered. Another possibility is that it was originally by Jan but has suffered from being largely retouched with the brush and different shades of wash. In my view, the parts drawn in black chalk correspond well with Jan’s drawn oeuvre, if compared for instance with two drawings in the Special Collections, Universiteit Leiden, the Portrait of a Painter of 1651 (inv. no. PK-T-AW-1004) and the Standing Man Holding a Book of 1662 (inv. no. PK-1972-T-1), or another drawing of 1662, St James Apostle in the Courtauld Gallery, London (inv. no. D.1952.RW.3139). The somewhat dry rendering of the features with their broad eyelids and marked eyebrows reflects the handling in these sheets, as does the summary treatment of hair. Moreover, the inscription at lower right – noticed by earlier authors without being deciphered – appears to be a date written in the typical way of the De Bray, with the month and day written as a fraction.
Annemarie Stefes, 2019
