(Haarlem 1660-1704) Peasants in a tavern, dancing, pen, brush and brown ink, brown wash, on paper, 22,5 x 35,3 cm, mounted, unframed, (Sch)

Provenance:
Collection Dimsdale (1758-1823) as A. van Ostade, as in the subsequent sales; sale Berlin (Hollstein & Puppel) Nov. 7, 1927, Cat. No. 1172; sale Amsterdam (de Vries) June 26, 1928, Cat. No. 188; Collection C. Hofstede de Groot, sale Leipzig (Boerner) Nov. 4, 1931, Cat. No. 152 sale Bern (Kornfeld & Klipstein) May 27,1964, Cat. No. 236; sale Amsterdam (Sotheby's) Nov. 2002, as C. Dusart.

Literature:
Bernhard Schnackenburg, Adriaen van Ostade, Isack van Ostade, Zeichnungen und Aquarelle, Hamburg 1981, copy under No. 41.

We are grateful to Dr. Bernhard Schnackenburg for the confirmation of the attribution and for the scientific support.

The present drawing goes back to a design of Adriaen van Ostade, which Cornelis Dusart may have studied during his apprenticeship in the workshop of Ostade. Contrary to Ostade’s solution the present drawing shows three additional figures, which are missing in Ostade’s sheet presumably due to croppings. Dr. Schnackenberg was not sure about the attribution before the publishing of his catalogue raisonné in 1981; however, he would clearly establish the attribution to Dusart today. The loose penstroke and the dramatic dark brown washes indicate the proximity of the drawing to Dusart‘s teacher.