Dr. Victor Bloch, Vienna;
His sale, Lucerne, Gilhofer and Ranschburg, 30 November 1934, lot 40, where unsold;
His forced sale ("Collection B. Vienna"), Berlin, H.W. Lange, 18-19 November 1938, lot 180;
In the possession of the fami🐻ly of𝔍 the present owner since the end of the 1930s.

A. Seilern, Flemish Paintings and Drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1955, pp. 41-43, under no. 22;
A. Pigler, Barockthemen, Budapest 1974, vol. II, p. 80 (as Workshop of Rubens);
J. S. Held, The Oil Sketches of Peter Paul Rubens, vol. I, Princeton 1980, pp. 318-319, discussed under cat. no. 231 (as whereabouts unknown);
M. Jaffé, Rubens. Catalogo Completo, Milan 1989, p. 208, under cat. no. 319 (as an old copy)
J. Kräftner in Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)- The Masterpieces from the Viennese Collections, Vienna 2004, p. 131, under cat. no. 29.

The catalogue illustration is representative. The support consists of three vertical panels which are flat and have been cradled to the reverse. The painting is offered in a carved wooden frame which is structurally sound but has some surface chips. To the naked eye the painting is structurally sound and secure. However, there do appear to be several areas of retouching under the varnish. Inspection under UV light reveals that small retouchings have been applied throughout the painting, both to add definition to the forms and to make up for areas of abrasion in the darker tones. Retouchings can be made out along the panel joins and, for example, to the body and outlines of the darker figure at centre.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

This work is sold pursuant to a settlement agreement between the current owner and the heirs of Victor Bloch.

This sketch indicates Rubens' early compositional conception of a seldom depicted Ovidian theme, which culminates in his painting in the Liechtenstein Princely Collections.¹  A second oil sketch of the composition was previously in the collection of Count Seilern and now resides at the The Courtauld Gallery, London.²  The Courtauld Gallery kindly permitted both sketches to be examined side by side on two recent occasions, latterly in the company of Caroline Campbell, Fiona Healy and Elizabeth McGrath.  The consensus on both occasions was that while the Courtauld sketch is in better condition, and more of the original paint 🐼is preserved intact, it is difficult to see Rubens' own hand in it, and it is more likely to be by someone in his studio, adapting the existing composition.  The present sketch is poorly preserved, and recognisiဣng Rubens' hand in it is for this reason hazardous, but it appears to represent a stage in the genesis of the composition rather than an adaptation of it. 

At the time of the sale in 1938, this work was accompanied by the expertise of Max J. Friedländer and Gustav Glück. Dr. Fiona Healy will discuss this oil sketch in her upcoming Corpus Rubenianum Ludwig Burchard volume devoted to subjects from Mythology, which will be volume 11 of the series.

1. See J. Kräftner in Literature, cat. no. 29.
2.  See D. Jaffé in Literature, cat. no. 319.