Lot 20
Circle of The Le Nain Brothers(Laon circa 1607-circa 1677 Paris)Portrait of a young boy in a brown coat and lace collar drawing in a sketch book
2 July 2025, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £20,480 inc. premium
Looking for a similar item?
Our Old Master Paintings specialists can help you find a similar item at an auction or via a private sale.
Find your local specialistAsk about this lot
Circle of The Le Nain Brothers (Laon circa 1607-circa 1677 Paris)
Portrait of a young boy in a brown coat and lace collar drawing in a sketch book
oil on canvas
57.5 x 42.2cm (22 5/8 x 16 5/8in).
oil on canvas
57.5 x 42.2cm (22 5/8 x 16 5/8in).
Footnotes
Provenance
Collection of Captain E.G. Spencer-Churchill, MC, (1876-1964), Northwick Park, Blockley, Gloucestershire
His posthumous sale, Christie's, London, 25 February 1966, lot 32 (as Le Nain, erroneously listed as on panel), where purchased by the present owner's family
Literature
Catalogue of the Northwick Park Collection, 1864, no. 92 (as Velasquez)
T. Borenius, A Catalogue of the collection of pictures at Northwick Park, London, 1921, no. 99 (as on panel)
'Arundel Club Portfolio', 1916, no. 16
G.Isarlo, 'Les trois Le Nain', La Renaissance, XXI, March 1938, no. 1, pl.123
The close-buttoned coat and the linen collar edged with pointed lace worn by the subject of this portrait are characteristic of French fashion of the early 17th century, while the strongly-lit face set against a dark background recalls studies by Mathieu Le Nain. There is a personal feel to this portrait; both the young age of the subject and the fact that he is drawing suggest that he may have been closely related to the artist.
