Lot 2097 Dα

The present drawing is a preliminary study for Jordaens' painting of the same subject from about 1655-60 in the Staatsgalerie Aschaffenburg. St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) is one of the great doctors of the church. The Augustinian order was named after him in the 13th century. Like the Jesuits, the Augustinians played an important role in the cultural life of Antwerp and were especially active as educators during the Counter Reformation period.
This rare motif is thematically related to four other drawings by Jordaens from around 1645, which are generally referred to as "Moral Allegories". They are housed in the British Museum in London, in the Graphics Collection of the Albertina in Vienna, in the collection of Jean Bonna in Geneva, and a fourth is held by Jean-Luc Baroni Ltd. All four drawings depict a preacher in long robe holding a chalice in her hands. She is to be understood as a personification of religion.
The present drawing was once in the possession of Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), who assembled a spectacular collection of drawings. The printed catalogue on the sale of Reynolds' collection contains a useful table of artists as a foreword, in which the four drawings by Jordaens are listed, albeit without the titles of the pictures or further descriptions.
The attribution of this drawing to Jacob Jordaens has been confirmed by Hans Vlieghe and it is dated to "1650 -1660". In the database of the RKD it is listed under the number 1001208566.