General Horace Sébastiani, who served in the French occupation of Spain was given paintings by royal decree in 1810 as recompensa nacional. The published decree of January 4, 1810 whereby General Sébastiani was given three paintings did not include any Spanish works. However, he must have acquired other works while in Spain. At the time of his death his collection included works attributed to Murillo and Velazquez, as anonymous painters of the Spanish schools. For information regarding the Sébastiani sale (cf. Ilse Hempel Lipschutz, Spanish Painting and the French Romantics, 1972, pp. 41 and 42, Appendix C, p. 326).
We are grateful to Mr. William Jordan for confirming the attribution to Zurbaran and for proposing the Sébastiani provenance.
The present picture is related in type and quality to the series of thirteen pictures of 'Jacob and his sons' belonging to the Bishop of Durham (cf. Catalogue of the Exhibition, Zurbaran, New York, Sept. 22-Dec. 13, 1987, pp. 208-211) and is consistent in style and scale with the 'Benjamin' (Grimsthorpe and Drummond Castle Trust, Bourne, Lincolnshire), illustrated p. 210 in the Zurbaran exhibition catalogue. The [above lot] is also consistent with other late works by Zurbaran and dated by William Jordan to the 1650s.
For additional information regarding this painting please refer to the Old Master Paintings department.