Esau meeting Jacob.

Drawing, black chalk, pencil, grey wash, framelines in pen and brown ink, 20,2 x 24,9 cm, laid down on thicker sheet of paper, unsigned (some old repairs at lower left corner, minor abrasions to the right lower corner, some brown foxing spots to the sheet throughout, sm. ink stain at left lower centre under Esau's chest).

Upper edges under passe-partout.

An expertly executed sheet depicting the meeting between Esau and Jacob, surrounded by a large crowd. The horizontal hatchings, general compositions, the subtle use of wash and the ideosyncratic faces are all traits which recall the style of Nicolaes Moeyaert (1592-1655), a student of Pieter Lastman. Stylistically comparable drawings are "The banishment of Hagar and Ishmael" in the National Gallery of Edinburgh (inv. inv./cat.nr RSA 1125) or "King Jeroboam points to the prophet" in the Kunstsammlung der Universität Göttingen (inv. H7).
Ref. RKD https://rkd.nl/explore/artists/56541. - A. Tümpel, "Claes Cornelisz. Moeyaert", Oud Holland 88 (1974), p. 1-163.