# Two focused next steps: paper records and the complete 2005 sale catalogue

> **Status, prepared 5 October 2026.** The Aurora Belli request below, aimed at RP-T-1887-A-1327, is superseded. The current proposal asks about A-1211, A-788, A-1134, RP-T-1888-A-1797, A-949, A-911 and A-1095, and about Kettering part II, pp. 776–802, as set out in [research note 15](/en/research/rembrandt-school/young-draughtsman-drawing/notes#note-15). No enquiry has been sent. Nothing has been ordered. The paragraph below is kept as the history of the earlier request.

## Ask Aurora Belli about object-specific paper documentation — superseded request, retained as history

**SOURCE-REPORTED.** The Rijksmuseum identifies Aurora Belli as Research Technician / Junior Paper Conservator on [The Watermarks Project](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/research/our-research/conservation-science/science/the-watermarks-project). Its technical imaging programme makes a limited enquiry worthwhile: are full watermark records available for named Ter Borch-family drawings, especially **RP-T-1887-A-1327, attributed to Moses ter Borch, Kettering M18, vol. I, p. 296**?

[That object's public metadata](https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200512324) says **Schild met kroon** (shield with crown). It does not identify a Strasbourg lily. Ask for the full image, recorded variant, dimensions, chain-line relationship, countermark and any conservation qualification. A response that the mark has not been imaged or classified would also be useful. No enquiry has yet been sent as part of this update.

**INFERRED research value.** An object-specific technical record could close a precise information gap left by public catalogue metadata. Evidence against treating this as an attribution route is substantial: the present sheet's mark remains incomplete and unclassified, and even a motif match would not establish a mould, shared paper stock, execution date or authorship. This recommendation is a documentation request, not a predicted match.

## Recover the remaining lots of the Sotheby's sale

The supplied PDF contains only the front cover and lot 141. Obtain or consult the complete **Sotheby's, London, 6 July 2005, Old Master Drawings including Property from the Arthur Feldmann Collection**, to inspect the other lots and the catalogue's preliminary matter. A library copy or a full scan may answer this documentary question before purchase of a physical copy is necessary.

**SOURCE-REPORTED commercial lead, checked 26 September 2026.** [The Catalog Star, stock 14449](https://www.thecatalogstar.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_4&products_id=14449) lists the correct London sale, **243 lots**, at **£29**, with two copies shown in stock at the time of checking. Shipping is not included in that quoted price and availability may change. The dealer also advertises scans of the complete catalogue or selected lots; the scan fee was not established. These are seller statements, not an order or a guarantee of fulfilment.

The [AbeBooks copy previously supplied by the dossier editor](https://www.abebooks.com/Sothebys-2005-Old-Master-Drawings-Feldmann/30474485400/bd) had been located at approximately **US$60–65 (reported as US$63), from the UK**. That earlier quotation has not been reconfirmed for current availability or shipping. It is reasonable to retain it as a historical acquisition lead, but not as a current guaranteed price.

**INFERRED research value.** Compare how other lot entries describe inscriptions and former attributions; look for any reproductions of comparable handwriting, borders, mounts or collector's marks; and check whether the catalogue explicitly groups lot 141 with an identified consignor or provenance. Record positive and negative results against individual lot numbers and pages. This can help place the reported `Terburg` inscription in its documentary setting and may generate better defined comparisons.

**Limits and counterevidence.** Being sold in the same auction is not evidence of shared authorship or provenance. The Feldmann name on the cover does not establish that lot 141 belonged to that collection. A physical catalogue still reproduces a printed image: it may improve legibility over a weak scan, but will not necessarily recover drawing detail lost in the original halftone reproduction. A direct-object photograph or source negative remains preferable for individual-stroke analysis.

## Three supplied crops of the reported inscription

**OBSERVED.** The editor supplied three crops of the lower-left inscription area: RKD monochrome (281 × 134 pixels), RKD colour (249 × 135 pixels), and the Sotheby's PDF reproduction (381 × 208 pixels). The public gallery preserves their full captured dimensions. Faint cursive marks are visible, with a reproduction pattern and limited tonal separation. Enlargement can make these marks easier to inspect but cannot restore missing detail.

**SOURCE-REPORTED.** Sotheby's calls the mark a pencil inscription `Terburg`. The three crops are reproductive views of the same drawing, not three independently signed works. They support examination of the reported reading; they do not authenticate a signature, identify its writer, date the inscription, or distinguish Gerard from Moses or another later annotator. Retain the Ter Borch family as a documented research lead, with autograph status **UNVERIFIED**.