Attributed to Aert de Gelder, 
Dutch 1645-1727- 
Study of a young woman and a man wearing a soft...

Attributed to Aert de Gelder, 
Dutch 1645-1727- 

Study of a young woman and a man wearing a soft cap, possibly representing Esther and Mordecai; 

brown ink and sepia and grey wash with traces of red chalk, on laid paper with arms of Amsterdam watermark, bearing indistinct monogram 'A...' or 'R...' (?), and date inscription 'f 164 (both lower right), the reverse bearing further inscription 'Ja...n Six', numbered 'N. 117' and '49', and stamped with unidentified collectors' mark 'G.W.', encircled, in violet ink, the reverse of the frame extensively inscribed, in French, 'Aert de Gelder / Dordrecht 1645-1727 / étude pour la fiancee juive de la Pinakothèke de Münich', and with further transcriptions of the writing and stamp on the reverse of the sheet, 27.7 x 21.1 cm. 

Provenance: 
Private Collection, UK. 

Note: 
The present drawing, which depicts a young woman in regal or possibly bridal attire beside an older man wearing a soft beret, may represent the subject of Queen Esther, the Jewish wife of King Ahasuerus, and her cousin, Mordecai, who together defied a plot to kill the Jewish people in Persia. After their people were saved, Esther and Mordecai wrote a letter to all the Jewish people in the Persian provinces, urging them to commemorate this victory, thus laying the foundations for the festival of Purim.  
The subject of Esther was often treated by Rembrandt (1606-1669) and his pupils, including, significantly, Dordrecht-born Aert de Gelder, who was one of the last pupils to work in Rembrandt's studio and who continued to work in the older master's style until the 18th century. De Gelder revisited the story of Esther and Mordecai on several occasions, and the composition of the drawing presented here bears similarities to paintings of the same subject held in the collections of the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Buenos Aires [inv. no. 8643] and the Musee de la Chartreuse, Douai.  
The striking directness and modernity of the composition, the dramatic interplay of light and shadow, and the distinctive combination of heavy wash and chalk are typical of De Gelder's approach. An example of a similar technique used by the artist includes a drawing depicting the Dream of Jacob, now in the collection of the British Museum, London [Oo,10.120]. 
It is worth noting that the facial features of the female figure are reminiscent of those of Saskia van Uylenburgh (1612-1642), Rembrandts first wife and frequent model, who was portrayed not only by her husband but also others working in his environment, including Govaert Flinck (1615-1660). 
The collector's mark G.W. [Lugt 12226] is not identified, but possibly relates to an anonymous auction held in Paris on the 7th January 1920.