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Lot 103
Floris Arntzenius (1864-1925), A still life with roses and larkspur in a glass vase, oil on canvas, mounted on panel, 43,5x27,5 cm, Provenance:-Probably in the Collection of Cornelis Anthonij van Waning.-With Kunsthandel G.J. Nieuwenhuizen Segaar, The Hague.-Auction, Van Marle, De Sille & Baan, Rotterdam, 1 June 1960, lot 523.-Collection Mr C.D. Tukker, Rotterdam., signed 'Fl Arntzenius' (lower left); with dedication 'van Arntzenius/aan/C.A.v.W. [Cornelis Anthonij van Waning?]' (on the reverse),
Lot 137
Jan Sluijters (1881-1957), 'Laantje' / A colourful forest lane, oil on canvas, 47x40 cm, Literature:-Jacqueline de Raad, Digital catalogue raisonné, ‘Oeuvrecatalogus van de schilder Jan Sluijters’, RKD Studies 1998, where erroneously dated 1909. Provenance:-With Kunsthandel G.J. Nieuwenhuizen Segaar, The Hague., signed and dated 'Jan. Sluijters 10' (upper left), After receiving a thorough and classical art education, Jan Sluijters manages to win the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1904. That same year he travels by means of his just received Prix-allowance through Italy and Spain, yet without really getting artistically inspired: it was all the same boring past, while Sluijters longs for the more exciting present. It is only in Paris that he finally finds the answer to his artistic aspirations. Here he becomes captivated by the Post-Impressionists and Fauvists and gets greatly inspired by the work of various modern painters, among whom fellow Dutchman Kees van Dongen. The modern Parisian nightlife, the bright electric and coloured light, the swirling dancers on the café floor must have been mesmerizing for Sluijters. He wants to capture it all in his paintings and at the same time give his spectators the idea of not only watching the scene, but of being part of it as well. With loose brush strokes and bright colours, Sluijters paints lively and exciting café scenes, such as Café Olympia and Bal Tabarin. However, the conservative Prix de Rome jury is not amused and accuses Sluijters of “celebrating the false ingenuity of the latest French trend” and of ‘‘trying too desperately with new colour schemes in his search for raw passion”. With the denouncement of his work comes the announcement that his allowance will be cut short. Back in Amsterdam in 1906, Sluijters receives some negative reviews, being considered to be too avant-garde. For Sluijters the criticism is the very proof that his choice to embrace modernism and to experiment with new styles is the right one. In a letter to a friend he writes “Alas […] a couple more of these refusals and I will become a famous man.” By then he already knows that negative attention is also publicity, what-so-ever. Despite the criticism Sluijters continues to exhibit his work along with that of his contemporaries, like Piet Mondriaan and Leo Gestel, and by doing so contributes greatly to a shift in the rather traditional artistic climate in the Netherlands. For many thinkers and artists, the beginning of the twentieth century also heralded the beginning of a search for new spiritual meaning and for some this meant that real life, as depicted in all its materialistic glory, was too decadent and too superficial. Spiritual depth, according to them, was not to be found in immoral city life, but should be sought after and could only be found in nature and nature alone. Always open to new ideas and looking for new subject matter, Sluijters would often trade Amsterdam for rural Renkum in Gelderland or Heeze in Brabant. For months on end he would paint non-stop in the woods where he, by his own account, found his way back to nature. The ruling thought of the day was that, for putting ‘soul’ into one’s work, the artist should use his senses first and then translate them onto canvas. Colour was used to express the felt sensations, not to depict reality. With all the new techniques and ideas picked up in Paris, intertwined with his new philosophical approach of depicting his surroundings in a more spiritual way, we see Sluijters produce numerous vibrant works in the years 1907-1908. They are beaming and bursting of colourful dots and strokes of bright, unmixed colours, always with the emphasis on the representation of light. However, the peak of this phase is reached in 1910, when Sluijters lives in Laren. Not the depiction of a realistic world is his main concern, but the use of form and colour to express the sensory perception of the world. Or in Sluijters own words: “Als ik bijvoorbeeld de zon zou willen schilderen op het landschap, zou ik dit landschap eerst wel mijn rug willen toekeren, om daarna, wanneer ik de sensatie, welke het glanzen der zon op het landschap in mij opwekte, voel, te gaan componeren in gelen en blauwen en groenen, waaruit ’t landschap tevoorschijn zou komen.” Still trying to gain a modern foothold in traditional Holland, Sluijters, together with his brothers in arms, Jan Toorop, Conrad Kickert, Leo Gestel, Kees Spoor and Piet Mondriaan, establishes ‘The Moderne Kunstkring’ in 1910. The following year the group organizes an exposition. Again Sluijters’ work is badly received in the press and four paintings are even refused by the mayor of Amsterdam to be part of the exhibition: two by Leo Gestel and two by Jan Sluijters, apparently because of their immorality (read: nude female figures). Another art critic attacks Sluijters as follows: “Het valt te betreuren dat deze man, met onmiskenbaar groot talent, niet aflaat met op de meest onbesuisde manier zijn onderwerpen te kiezen en zijn indrukken en passies onbekookt en fel op het doek te werpen”. (“It is to be regretted indeed that this undoubtfully well-talented man would choose his subjects carelessly and then would hurl his impressions and passions onto a canvas raw and fiercely!”) Well, we do not regret it at all, especially not when we look at the present lot ‘Laantje’, that Sluijters made in 1910. Sluijters used to call his colours ‘Gevoelskleuren’ and what a feeling of sheer joy he must have had when walking down this very forest lane! For here is a Summer’s day you will never forget; with unbridled strokes of exploding colours that seem to whirl and twirl over the canvas, Sluijters has created an ever-ongoing dance of light, leaves, sky, wood and sand, in one happy celebration of nature on a glorious day. If there has ever been painted an anti-depressive on canvas it is this very painting. Sources:-Frouke van Dijke a.o., ‘Kleur ontketend: Moderne kunst in de lage landen, 1885-1914’, The Hague 2015.-Jacqueline de Raad, ‘Jan Sluijters, 1881-1957’, Laren 2011.-Carel Blotkamp, ‘Meesters van het licht: luministische schilderkunst in Nederland en Duitsland’, Rotterdam 1996.-Anita Hopmans, ‘Jan Sluijters 1881-1957 : aquarellen en tekeningen, Zwolle 1991.‘Kunst in de Hoofdstad: De tentoonstelling van den Modernen Kunstkring’, In: De Maasbode, 14 October 1911.-‘Geweigerde schilderijen’, In: De Tijd: godsdienstig-staatkundig dagblad, 07 October 1911.
Lot 64
Cornelis Springer (1817-1891), The Jewish Quarters in Amsterdam in winter, oil on panel, 41x34 cm, Literature:-Pieter A. Scheen, ‘Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1950', The Hague 1970, ill. no. 187.-W. Laanstra, H.C. de Bruijn and J.H.A. Ringeling, ‘Cornelis Springer (1817-1891)’, Utrecht 1984, ill. p. 105, no. 56-10, as: ‘Een straatje in een Jodenbuurt bij winter'. Provenance:-Collection C.F. Roos, Amsterdam, acquired directly from the artist on 30 November 1856 for Dfl. 175.-Auction, S.J. Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 26 May-5 June 1964, lot 461.-With Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague, August 1965, cat. no. XIX, no. 39, where acquired by the family of the present owners. Please compare to two different, but similar, preparatory drawings by the artist:I. Auction, Christie's, Amsterdam, 29 October 1997, lot 25, dated 25 October 1855 (40,5x34 cm)II. Willem Laanstra, 'Cornelis Springer, Geschilderde Steden', Amsterdam 1994, ill. p. 116, as: 'Een straatje in een Jodenbuurt in Amsterdam bij winter', dated 1856 (34x28 cm). Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection, signed and dated 'C Springer ft 56' (lower right), When looking at this magnificent winter scene by Cornelis Springer, we are invited to use, apart from sight, all our senses. We are smack in the middle of the bustling Jewish quarters in Amsterdam and although the sounds are slightly muffled by the snow, we can hear the market people loudly announcing their ware, the buyers negotiating, the man pushing the sledge loaded with heavy barrels, groaning, and then there is the ever-present chattering and gossiping of the market visitors. It is a racket! It is cold too: a mother hides her hands under her cape while her son carries the groceries. The weak wintery sunlight shining in the background on the market stalls has been unable to warm her, but in the shadow of the buildings she feels the cold even more. Still, despite the cold, we see a window wide open on the left upper sight of the painting, revealing the very Dutchness of this painting, for the Dutch are known to be lovers of cleanliness and fresh air, even in the very heart of winter. And for this very reason they also hang the laundry outside in icy weather. Do you see the clothes hanging on the pole on the right-hand sight of the building? The blankets are also out to air, right over the open market stall in front, and will be frozen stiff when it is time to take them in. This winter scene could be seen as a very appropriate illustration of a Charles Dickens book, but there is nothing in it that even touches the caricatural tone of a Dickens story. The realistic atmosphere is mostly due to the splendid and detailed architectural depiction of the buildings: every brick of every gable seems to have been scrutinously observed before being painted, and this is exactly what Springer did. Springer’s keen interest in architecture was rooted in his upbringing, and in his later artistic education. His father was a carpenter/builder and Springer’s first official apprenticeship was with a decorative house- and carriage painter. His interest in drawing, especially perspective, was stimulated by his architect brother who gave him drawing lessons. To professionalize his drawing skills, Springer also took lessons at the Stadstekenschool. His first exhibition in 1834 was followed by a new apprenticeship in 1835 with the well-known and celebrated architectural painter Kasparus Karsen. It is Karsen who taught him the tricks of the trade of painting capriccio city views that were laced with topographically correct elements. However, from the 1850s onwards we see Springer losing the fantasy elements and focusing more on representing topographical locations in great detail. With his choice for more subtle and subdued colours and thus depicting a more realistic atmosphere, Springer soon outdid his former master. Continuing this path, Springer grew to become the townscape painter of his time. Throughout his career he takes rather detailed notes of his artistic process so we know how meticulously he worked to get every exacting detail correct. He used to make numerous sketches on the spot which he later elaborated into full-scale compositions. In addition, he made detailed figure studies of the people and groups of people he wanted to portray before finally starting with the real painting job. This whole process could take months. The study for this painting, rendered in black chalk, immediately shows the virtuosity of Springer’s artistic talent. The many Springer admirers who passionately applaud his excellent architectural painting skills are more than correct, but in their enthusiasm they often forget to mention Springer’s phenomenal compositional expertise. The present lot is an excellent example of his well-balanced compositions. By the vague glow of the wintery sunlight upon the white market stalls in the background, the spectator’s eyes are drawn into the street. With one or two touches of a whiter shade indicating the hoods of female buyers, Springer deepens the perspective even more, while the white tones of the background are well-balanced by the bright and untouched white snow on the roof in the foreground. Groups of people seem to be scattered randomly in the scene, but on second view are cleverly grouped to anchor the composition. The white laundry hanging in the air is contrasted by the black hanging streetlight, both breaking up the view and serving to give depth to the composition at the same time. Time and time again Springer shows himself to be the master of perfection when it comes to architectural renderings, but also to be a true genius of perspective who knows how to create a totally convincing city view. With this lively scene Springer invites the viewer to join in Amsterdam’s nineteenth century street life. You will never know if this Christmas will be white, but with this great winter scene by Springer you can be sure of it. Source:-Willem Laanstra, ‘Cornelis Springer, geschilderde steden’, Amsterdam 1994.-Willem Laanstra, ‘Cornelis Springer en het getekende stadsgezicht’ in : Tableau, 1989, no. 6.-W. Laanstra, H.C. de Bruijn and J.H.A. Ringeling, ‘Cornelis Springer (1817-1891)’, Utrecht 1984.
Lot 8
Melchior d'Hondecoeter (1636-1695), A hunting still life with a pigeon, partridge, finches and a kingfisher on a stone ledge, oil on canvas, 69x59 cm, This graceful still life is exemplifying for Melchior d’Hondecoeter’s early work. The artist specialized in painting hunting still lifes, birds, poultry, and elegant landscapes with exotic birds. Following up on his Flemish predecessors, Frans Snijders (1579-1657) and Jan Brueghel II (1601-1678), d’Hondecoeter has elevated the theme of bird concerts and hunting still lifes in the Netherlands together with his cousin Jan Weenix (1641-1719).This well-balanced composition shows the qualities of d’Hondecoeter as a still life painter. The sceneis set in subtle brownish tones with, in the centre, the white wing of a pigeon, drawing our eyes into the composition. The pigeon and partridge, delicately placed on the stone ledge, dominate the painting. Yet, some smaller birds such as finches and a kingfisher are cautiously placed around them, completing the scene harmoniously. Behind the birds, some hunting equipment is visible with a large bird’s cage to the left. The very subtle muted palette and unity of the composition make this painting a typical work by one of Holland's master painters of hunting still lifes.
Lot 57
Jan van Os (1744-1808), A still life with flowers, fruits, insects, a mouse and a bird's nest, oil on panel, 70x56 cm, Exhibited:-Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer (22 April-30 May 1983)/Braunschweig, Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum (15 June-31 July 1983), 'A fruitful past, A survey of the fruit still lifes of the northern and southern Netherlands from Brueghel till Van Gogh', no. 69. Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection, signed and dated 'J. van Os. fecit 1774' (lower left), Painter Jan van Os was already a famous artist when he was visited by admirers in his house in The Hague at the end of the eighteenth century. When they asked who had been his tutor, the answer was surprisingly short: “Nature”. Now this was not quite true of course, as Van Os was taught to draw and paint by the animal, still life and decorative painter Aert Schouman (1710-1792) in The Hague. In 1773 Van Os became a member of the Confrérie Pictura in the same city, which also gave him status enough to send pictures to the Society of Artists in London. These quickly earned him quite a reputation with England’s and France’s aristocracy and even resulted in a commission by the Russian Tsarina, who – rumour had it – paid him with 1,000 Dutch florins or even more! Initially Jan van Os painted seascapes and river views based on seventeenth century paintings, but he soon became most famous as a painter of flower and fruit still lifes. In 1775 Van Os married Susanna de la Croix, a very respectable artist herself, and the daughter of the portraitist Pieter Frederik de la Croix. With two artistic parents - father Van Os was also a poet - it is no wonder that the three Van Os children, Pieter, Maria Margaretha and Georgius, all became reputable artists. Looking at this delightful lot we know the Tsarina paid not a cent too much for such great talent. We also begin to understand why Van Os saw nature to be his real tutor. The profusion of luscious fruit and flowers is painted with such delicacy and accuracy that you have to prevent yourself from trying to pick some of the delicious grapes, or from smelling the exquisite pink roses. Van Os’ lavish choice of fruit and flowers include both the exotic, such as the cockscomb and pineapple, and the more common, such as the hollyhock and plums.Some elements, like the cockscomb, pineapple and bird’s nest, are strong reminders of Van Os’ great example, fruit and flower painter Jan van Huysum (1682-1749), as are the arrangements of the background and foreground. However, Van Os had a virtuosity of his own and some details are rendered with such great technical skill that in certain aspects he is even outdoing his famous predecessor. The pewter plate on the right reflects both the rose and a bunch of white grapes, with the pips showing through. The waxy coat of the plums and grapes is applied with such great skill that they look as if they were freshly picked just before they were painted. Other elements like the split melon and the cracked walnuts are depicted meticulously and, again, bring seventeenth century still lifes to mind, as does the little mouse in the left hand corner. Two bluebottle flies, one perching on a grape and one on a hollyhock, seem at first to disturb the equilibrium of the beautiful piece, but then they are also proof of the painter’s great technical virtuosity and simultaneously his ode to nature in which after all, all things are bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small. Sources:-Sam Segal, ‘Flowers and Nature : Netherlandish flower painting of four centuries’, The Hague 1990.-A. Hallema, ‘Uit de bescheiden van de familie Copes van Cattenburch: Te weinig bekende Haagsche beelden en typen uit de 18de eeuw’, In: Het Vaderland: Staat- en letterkundig nieuwsblad, 10 July 1937.
Lot 58
Andreas Schelfhout (1787-1870), Figures on the ice near a windmill, a town in the distance, oil on panel, 30x41 cm, Exhibited:-The Hague, Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, 'Summer exhibition', 1976, no. 27. Literature:-Willem Laanstra, 'Andreas Schelfhout 1787-1870', Amsterdam 1995, ill. p. 147, no. WO 30-2. Provenance:-Auction, Christie's, London, 14 June 1974, lot 254.-Auction, Christie's, Laren, 13 June 1975, lot 276.-With Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague, 1976, where acquired by the family of the present owners. Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection, signed 'A. Schelfhout f' (lower left), The Claude Lorrain of winter scenes The name Schelfhout can almost be considered a synonym for “winter landscape”, and with this in mind, it is remarkable that he was initially reluctant to send in his winter scenes for the yearly Exhibition of Living Masters. This was probably not because he lacked confidence in his own skills, but because winter scenes were just not that popular at the time, and seen chiefly as just obligatory companions to summer pieces. However, Schelfhout’s winter scenes were of such high quality that they were soon earning much appreciation, both in the Netherlands and abroad. When Schelfhout realized the growing popularity of his winter scenes, he gradually increased his focus on this particular subject matter. He might even be considered to be the one who introduced a whole new speciality and, with this, a new important market. Although Schelfhout never confined himself completely to the genre - his considerable output also contains, for instance, high quality landscapes, forest scenes, and dune landscapes - he nevertheless became the epitome of the nineteenth century winter landscape painter. His contemporary art critics even provided him with the pet name “the Claude Lorrain of winter scenes.” Being a true nineteenth century romantic artist, and thus an admirer of the Golden Age painters, we see Schelfhout’s inspiration stemming from Meindert Hobbema, Jacob van Ruisdael and Jan van Goyen, as far as composition is concerned. For subject matter, Hendrick Avercamp was influential. However, Schelfhout stayed clear from downright imitation and made every single painting very much his own. To illustrate this: Avercamp puts more emphasis on the figures than on the surrounding scene, whereas Schelfhout makes his figures subordinate to the grandeur of the landscape. Andreas Schelfhout would live long enough to establish a rich legacy, both with his own outstanding oeuvre and through his many students, among whom Charles Leickert, Johan Barthold Jongkind and Wijnand Nuyen, all remarkable artists in their own right. His extraordinary gift for snow and ice scenes in which picturesque skaters and windmills are rendered with great technical skill in naturalistic colours, make his winter scenes still the most sought after of his subjects. But what exactly is Schelfhout’s secret? Why, when looking at his winter scenes, do we immediately want to put on our skates and join the crowd on the frozen river? The answer lies both in Schelfhout’s exceptional mastery of the brush, and in his well-developed sense of composition and atmosphere. It is all there in the present lot: Via the deep black reflecting ice in the foreground, the eye is drawn towards the white and blueish background where the fun is. A couple in the foreground is happily doing their tour, passing the labourers who are filling up the horse-cart with bags. The whole scene is suggestive of a situation in which ‘all is well’. Yes, it is winter and, yes, it is cold, but, so the prominent position of the solid windmill tells us, at least normal life continues. Labourers get on with their job, and we even have spare time to spend some leisurely hours skating. There might be some cracks, but have no fear, the ice is thick and solid enough, it can even hold a horse and cart. No one is falling down, and the koek-en-zopie tent (suggested by a tiny fresh white stroke of the brush) is waiting with hot drinks. In this time of global warming it is hard to imagine that Schelfhout lived in the last phase of what is often called the small ice age, a time with gruelling cold winters. By offering his comforting, idealistic winter scenes Schelfhout answered to the need of his buyers to counterbalance the often hard reality of these long and cold Dutch winters. Or, as an art critic described it in 1842: “Alleen zoo als Schelfhout den Winter voorstelt, in het witte gewaad en met de bonte menigte van schaatsenrijders, vinden wij er iets aanlokkelijks in …” (“And only by the way Schelfhout renders Winter, in its white cloak and with the colourful crowd of ice skaters, do we find it a bit more attractive…”). Especially in the reality of a harsh cold winter, so he explains, do we need these beautiful and uplifting landscapes, to offer solace, and an outlook on a better future. And who would be better to supply the public with just that than Schelfhout? Schelfhout has materialized the very heart of Dutch winter, and as such winters become rare, it might be a good idea to secure one. This one will not melt. Sources:-Willem Laanstra, ‘Andreas Schelfhout: 1787-1870’, Amsterdam 1995.-Michiel Plomp, ‘Van Jacob van Strij tot Jan Mankes, Het Winterlandschap in de Nederlandse Kunst van de negentiende eeuw’, in: ‘Echte Winters: Het winterlandschap in de negentiende eeuw’, Haarlem 2016.-Kunstkronijk 1842, p. 43.
Lot 63
Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862), A herdsman with his cows near an old oak tree, oil on panel, 32,5x29 cm, Literature:-Pieter A. Scheen, ‘Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1950', The Hague 1969, ill. no. 111.-B.C. Koekkoek, 'Herinneringen en mededelingen van eenen landschapschilder', Schiedam 1982, ill. Provenance:-With Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague, 1966, cat. no. 14, where acquired by the family of the present owners. Please compare to a painting by the artist with a similar composition, sold at: Auction, Bukowskis, Stockholm, 30 November 1994, lot 277. Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection, signed and dated 'B.C. Koekkoek 1851' (lower right); signed, dated and authenticated 'Dit schilderijtje, voorstellende/een boschrijk landschap met een/doode eik op den voorgrond, is/geschilderd in het jaar 1851/door den ondergeteekende/B.C. Koekkoek' (on a handwritten label attached to the reverse); the artist's wax seal with initials 'BCK' (on the handwritten label), On a beautiful day in August 1840 Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, then 36 years old, left his home in Cleve, Germany, together with three other young painters: two fellow Dutchmen, and one German artist. They set off on a journey through Germany and because Koekkoek kept a travel logbook we can now read about their adventures in: “Herinneringen en Mededeelingen van eenen Landschapschilder” (“Recollections and communications of a Landscape Painter”), published the next year. Apart from being a nice collection of events, the book is most valuable for learning about Koekkoek’s artistic views, for he also describes his sketching and painting process in great detail, shares his opinions about the work of his artist friends and gives advice to would-be art students. By this time, Koekkoek’s fame takes a flight and he quickly becomes an internationally renowned landscape painter with a substantial and important clientele. During his lifetime he would receive numerous awards and decorations and would see the likes of King Willem II of the Netherlands, King Friedrich-Wilhelm IV of Prussia and Czar Alexander II amongst his patrons. Koekkoek was born in Middelburg, and started his artistic training, just like his brothers, under the wings of his father, the marine painter Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778-1851). Soon though, Barend Cornelis would change his home country for Germany. He thought the Dutch countryside simply too dull: “Surely”, he wrote, “Our fatherland boasts no rocks, waterfalls, high mountains or romantic valleys. Proud, sublime nature is not to be found in our land”. In 1834 he settled with his wife in the town of Cleve, a nice place to work from, and one that worked well as base to undertake his long journeys along the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers. During his travels Koekkoek would study nature meticulously and make numerous basic paintings or sketches which would on his return be worked out in his studio. The above-mentioned book from 1841 gives a clear idea about how Koekkoek considered nature to be the one and only source of inspiration for his art. His almost lyrical written descriptions of the landscape were subsequently translated into paintings by his sublime depiction of winding paths, panoramic views and broad trees in impressive wooded environments. Some tiny figures can be seen, but only to underscore the contrast of humble humanity as opposed to the greatness of nature. Koekkoek’s artistic views and theories, along with his highly developed technical skills, appealed to many young artists who wanted to receive his tuition. And so, in the same year that he published his book, he also founded his own drawing academy (Zeichen Collegium). This would be the beginning of “The School of Cleves” with students such as Frederik Martinus Kruseman, Willem Bodeman and Johann Bernard Klombeck, all drawing in the same romantic vein, resulting in works in which realistic details are combined with an almost dreamy atmosphere.This impressive lot is dated 1851, and by that time Koekkoek is at the very height of his genius. On a forest lane, a solitary herdsman walks towards us with his cows. The path is dappled with warm sunlight that reminds us of the first golden hours of a beautiful summer day. The haziness in the background, where morning mist still lingers, tells us that the air is probably still cool and fresh. The eye is drawn to a majestic oak tree with partly broken off branches. The tree not only divides the shadowy part from the sunny segment, but is also half living, half dead. It is a frequently recurring theme in Koekkoek’s work and often seen in seventeenth century landscapes. But where the use of this Vanitas symbolism by Koekkoek’s predecessors is often dark and threatening, in his own sunny landscape it seems to be just a friendly reminder that life and death are always close companions. Koekkoek uses his trees also to give the composition an intimate, closed-in atmosphere. With the trees cut off by the edge of the canvas, the scene is narrowed in, giving it extra depth. In a perfect blend of the peaceful pastoral with the sublime reverence for nature, Koekkoek lives up to his title ‘Prins der Landschapschilders’. Barend Cornelis Koekkoek indeed shows royal grace in carefully combining his close study of Dutch seventeenth century painters with his own acute study of nature. The influence of painters like Hobbema, Cuyp, Ruisdael and Wynant, but also Pieter van Laer and Jan Both can be seen both in his technique and in his choice of subject. Yet, Koekkoek’s own pictures, are superb in their own right: his magnificent landscapes in which the greatness of nature is celebrated in every detail, have never stopped to impress. Up to this day Koekkoek is widely regarded as the most talented and skilled landscape painter of the nineteenth century. Source:-Angelika Nollert, ‘Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862): Prins der landschapschilders’, Dordrecht 1997.
Lot 56
Willem van Leen (1753-1825), A still life with flowers in a vase, a bird's nest and a snail on a marble ledge, watercolour on paper, 45x33 cm, Provenance:-With Gallery John Mitchell and Son, London (ill. in Gallery Notes, circa 1977/78)., signed and dated '= Van Leen, Ft 1800.' (lower left), Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection
Lot 80
Jeanne Bieruma Oosting (1898-1994), A still life with pink roses in a glass vase, watercolour on paper, 56x42 cm, Provenance:-With Kunsthandel M.L. De Boer, Amsterdam, inv. no. 15168, where acquired by the family of the present owners., signed 'Oosting.' (lower right), Lots 56-83: A Distinguished Collection
Lot 40
Henriëtte Ronner-Knip (1783-1842), A flower still life with raspberries in a glass bowl, oil on panel, 41,5x36,5 cm, Exhibited:-Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer (13 March-11 April 1982)/'s-Hertogenbosch, Noordbrabants Museum (29 April-30 May 1982), 'Een Bloemrijk Verleden', no. 87. Literature:-Pieter A. Scheen, 'Lexicon Nederlandse beeldende kunstenaars 1750-1880', The Hague 1981, no. 69. Provenance:-Auction, Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 17 November 1972, lot 361.-With Kunsthandel Pieter A. Scheen, The Hague, 1975, where acquired by the family of the present owner., signed and dated 'Henriëtte Knip./1838.' (lower right),
Lot 157
Alfred Montgomery (American, 1857-1922). Oil on board painting depicting a still life of ears of corn spilling from a basket. Signed along the lower right.A "farmer-painter" for most of his life, ears of corn were a staple in Montgomery's work from early on. He boasted that if he was crossing a street a horse would try to reach out and eat the corn that his paintings depicted. It took him nearly nine years to learn his unique technique of layering paint to produce a textured and raised effect for each kernel that add both depth and realism.Sight; height: 14 5/8 in x width: 22 1/4 in. Framed; height: 20 7/8 in x width: 28 1/2 in.
Lot 226
Frances "Fanny" Flora Bond Palmer (American, 1812-1876) for Currier and Ives, United States. Group of two lithographs titled "Landscape, Fruit and Flowers," depicting a still life of a bouquet of flowers with fruit laid out on a table before it, 1862. A bird swoops by in the background, which showcases a lovely valley landscape.Literature: Gale Research Company, "Currier & Ives, A Catalogue Raisonne," Volume 1: A-N (Gale Research Company: Detroit, 1984). Number 3710, page 387.Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Ohio.Currier and Ives was founded by Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888) in 1835 as "the Grand Central Depot for Cheap and Popular Prints," but changed its name with the addition of James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895) in 1857. The company created over 7000 popular lithographs depicting American life until 1907.(Each) Sight; height: 21 in x width: 28 1/2 in. Framed; height: 30 in x width: 37 1/2 in.
Lot 228
Currier and Ives, United States. Group of three lithographs including:Napoleon Sarony (American, 1821-1896). "Noah's Ark," depicting a biblical scene of paired animals boarding Noah's Ark before the flood.Literature: Gale Research Company, "Currier & Ives, A Catalogue Raisonne," Volume 1: A-N (Gale Research Company: Detroit, 1984). Number 4870, page 495."Fruit and Flowers: Cherries, Strawberries & Rose," depicting a still life.Literature: Gale Research Company, "Currier & Ives, A Catalogue Raisonne," Volume 1: A-N (Gale Research Company: Detroit, 1984). Number 2345, page 237."Landscape Cards - Moonlight and Winter Effects," depicting nine miniature still lives compiled together.Literature: Gale Research Company, "Currier & Ives, A Catalogue Raisonne," Volume 1: A-N (Gale Research Company: Detroit, 1984). Possibly number 3709, page 387.Provenance: Distinguished Corporate Collection, Ohio.Currier and Ives was founded by Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888) in 1835 as "the Grand Central Depot for Cheap and Popular Prints," but changed its name with the addition of James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895) in 1857. The company created over 7000 popular lithographs depicting American life until 1907.Sight; height ranges from 9 1/4 in to 12 3/4 in; width ranges from 9 in to 13 1/2 in. Framed; Height ranges from 14 in to 20 in; width ranges from 16 in to 20 in.
Lot 20
CHAÏM SOUTINE (1893-1943)La femme en rouge au fond bleu signed 'Soutine' (lower right)oil on canvas75.4 x 55cm (29 11/16 x 21 5/8in).Painted circa 1928Footnotes:ProvenanceJos Hessel Collection, Paris.Jacques Laroche Collection, Paris.Georges Keller Collection, New York and Davos (acquired by 1943).Carroll Carstairs Gallery, New York (acquired by 1949).Mr & Mrs Walter Ross Collection, New York (acquired from the above by 1957); their collection sale, Parke-Bernet Galleries, New York, 21 October 1964, lot 38.McRoberts & Tunnard Gallery, London (acquired at the above sale).Perls Galleries, New York (acquired by 1967).Alex Maguy, Paris (acquired by 1972, until 1973).Private collection, Japan; their sale, Sotheby's, New York, 5 November 1981, lot 233.Perls Galleries, New York (acquired at the above sale).The Roland Collection (acquired from the above in 1985); their sale, Dorotheum, Vienna, 24 November 2020, lot 12.Acquired at the above sale by the present owner.ExhibitedNew York, Bignou Gallery, A Selection of Paintings of the Twentieth Century, 8 February - 20 March 1943, no. 16 (titled 'The Red Dress').New York, Bignou Gallery, Exhibition of Paintings by Soutine, 22 March - 16 April 1943, no. 15 (titled 'The Red Dress').Montreal, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Manet to Matisse, An Exhibition of 19th and 20th Century French Paintings, 27 May - 26 June 1949, no. 39 (titled 'Femme en rouge' and dated 1932).New York, Perls Galleries, 24 Major Acquisitions, 27 February - 6 April 1968, no. 21 (titled 'Jeune femme au fond bleu').New York, Perls Galleries, Chaïm Soutine (1893-1943), 11 November - 13 December 1969, no. 18.Paris, Alex Maguy, Présence de la peinture, 2 June - 12 July 1972.Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, 1996.LiteratureConnoisseur, vol. 172, no. 693, November 1969 (illustrated p. ccxvii).P. Courthion, Soutine, peintre du déchirant, Lausanne, 1972, fig. B (illustrated p. 258; titled 'La femme du cordonnier II' and dated 1926-1927).A. Soutine, Journal de l'amateur d'art, 1973 (illustrated p. 14).Exh. cat., The Evelyn Sharp Collection, New York, 1978, p. 90.M. Tuchman, E. Dunow & K. Perls, Chaïm Soutine (1893-1943), Catalogue Raisonné, Vol. II, Cologne, 2001, no. 123 (illustrated p. 692).IFAR Journal. vol. 10, no. 3/4, 2008/2009, p. 57 (illustrated on the inside back cover).In La femme en rouge sur fond bleu, Chaïm Soutine portrays a woman with unparalleled emotion and intimacy. Despite the artist's choice to leave the sitter anonymous, he renders her familiar to anyone as he translates raw emotions onto the canvas. The present work is the quintessence of Soutine's portraits: it blends the most important colours in Soutine's work (red and blue) and brings together the artist's modern and traditional artistic influences in a consummate psychological portrait.Chaïm Soutine was born in 1893 in Smilovitchi, a small town of the Russian Empire mainly populated by observant Jews. At the age of thirteen, he secretly drew a portrait of the village rabbi, transgressing the ban on depicting the human face, and was beaten by the rabbi's son for it. He spent two weeks in hospital, and the Soutine family obtained twenty-five roubles in compensation which enabled him to leave the Smilovitchi ghetto and the painful childhood memories he had there. Soutine used the money to take drawing classes in Minsk, before enrolling at the Vilnius School of Fine Arts. He then arrived in Paris in 1912 and moved to La Ruche (The Beehive), a hub of artist studios whose name came from its cylindrical shape where low studio rent and free models attracted many artists who had recently emigrated to Paris with little money. Among others, Marc Chagall, Ossip Zadkine, Alexander Archipenko, Constantin Brâncuși, and Diego Rivera, would come and stay at La Ruche, which soon became the epicentre of the École de Paris, a term that paradoxically came to designate the scene formed at the beginning of the 20th century and until the Second World War by artists from all over the world, who converged in the French capital. Soutine had no resources and worked as a labourer in a Renault factory and at the Grand Palais to make ends meet. In 1914, an incurable stomach ulcer prevented him from being mobilised, despite his desire to do so. In 1915, Soutine met Amedeo Modigliani and the two artists formed a solid friendship that would withstand all odds. In 1916, Modigliani introduced him to his dealer Léopold Zborowski, who would go on to also represent Soutine. Zborowski financed Soutine's career and trips to the South of France, in Céret, Cagnes and Vence, but without commercial success.Modigliani's death in 1920 was a terrible setback for Soutine. His physical and mental health deteriorated drastically and he chose to live apart from the artistic community. For almost two years, he painted intensely and kept a very close circle of friends and relationships; mainly Zborowski and Paulette Jourdain, Zborowski's assistant and former model of Modigliani. Jourdain became an important friend, confidante, and model for Soutine. It is almost certain that she is the sitter for La femme en rouge sur fond bleu.Jourdain, who also sat for André Dunoyer de Segonzac, Ossip Zadkine, and Moïse Kisling, was the model for one of Modigliani's very last portraits in 1919. It is highly likely that Soutine was inspired by the Portrait de Paulette Jourdain, which bears many similarities with La femme en rouge sur fond bleu, such as the same fontal position, stately manner, and clasped hands.In 1922, the American collector Albert Barnes noticed the artist's work and bought almost a hundred paintings from Soutine, who became rich and famous overnight. He was now an established painter and had a daily salary of 25 francs from Zborowski, with a car and a driver, and became a fashionable and eccentric Parisian. And yet, despite his newfound introduction to bourgeois society, Soutine became preoccupied with the still-life genre, surrounding himself with dead carcasses in his studio to paint his celebrated series of Bœufs écorchés (Slaughtered oxen, circa 1925). He would visit slaughterhouses to buy dead carcasses of oxen to hang in his studio to paint. Soon the flies swarmed, and the neighbours complained about the smell. Paulette Jourdain recalls that when the police turned up, Soutine hid, terrified. But Jourdain defended the painter, arguing that his work was not done and that he needed to keep them for a while longer. She would sit for portraits for Soutine next to these dead carcasses in the studio while he painted her and would endure the smell and the flies for hours. Indeed, there are strong connections between Soutine's masterpiece of the Carcasse de bœuf (1925) and the present work: they share the same vivid palette, with the main subject painted in red hues and standing out against a blue background with impassioned brushstrokes that unbalance the perspective and stability of the scene. Both subjects occupy the centre of similar-sized canvases, while the colour and treatment of the flesh and blood of the flayed ox recalls that of the sitter's skin and dress. In the words of Cynthia Zarin, 'like Caravaggio, who painted some of the most disturbing and beautiful pictures in the world, and whom these portraits call to mind, Soutine was interested in the agencies of the flesh. In the snarl of paint on the canvas, you can feel his hand on the brush' (C. Zarin, 'The Time Travelling Portraits of Chaïm Soutine' in The New Yorker, 21 March 2018, n.p.). Moreover, like the Bœufs écorch&... This lot is subject to the following lot symbols: ** VAT on imported items at a preferential rate of 5% on Hammer Price and the prevailing rate on Buyer's Premium.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 4
EGON SCHIELE (1890-1918)Sitzende Frau signed and dated 'Egon Schiele 1917' (lower right)black pencil on paper46.1 x 29.6cm (18 1/8 x 11 5/8in).Executed in 1917Footnotes:ProvenancePrivate collection, Vienna and London (possibly acquired directly from the artist).Liesl Bunzl Collection, Vienna and London (by descent from the above).Thence by descent to the present owners.LiteratureJ. Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, 1998, no. 1999 (illustrated p. 582).'He had always been a demon draftsman [...] and his line, by 1917, had acquired an unprecedented degree of precision [...] Schiele's drawing technique – the armature upon which all his painted forms rested – had acquired an almost classical purity [...] Schiele's hand had never been surer, more capable of grasping, in a single breath-taking sweep, the complete contour of a figure. This extreme dexterity invited mannerism; when his subject was not particularly exciting, drawing was just too easy for him. And yet, when he was inspired, his execution was flawless; he had found, in the best of his late work, the perfect line' (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele, Life and Work, New York, 2003, pp. 223 & 230).Expressionism was characterised by a deep exploration of identity, of individual inward analysis and questioning, and an unwavering scrutinization of a rapidly modernising world. In Austria, Egon Schiele was by far the movement's foremost exponent, swiftly leading him to become Austria's leading artist of the time before his untimely death on 31st October 1918, at the age of just 28. This astronomical rise to critical acclaim within his short lifetime goes some way to illustrate the utmost quality of his ability and the deep resonance his work found in contemporary society, though it was not without its trials. Generally unappreciated for many years after his death, we look back at Egon Schiele as one of the twentieth century's most prolific, confrontational, and challenging artists.As the youngest student enrolled at the Viennese Akademie der Bildenden Künste in 1906, it was not long before Schiele broke away to carve his own path through the streets of the capital, documenting his rampant adolescent sexual energy, together with the unceasing hypocrisies of 'civilised' Viennese society to which he belonged. Thus began one of art canon's finest examinations into the vulnerability of the human figure through an unabashed examination of the vagrants and prostitutes of Vienna, and of the artist himself.Schiele's works from the 1910-1911 period are known for their unforgiving frankness and provocative imagery as the artist focused intensely on questions concerning identity and the individual, sexuality, spirituality and death. This is often presented through the gazing youthful eyes of Vienna's street urchins, the explicit representation of prostitutes, or through the stark, emaciated nude figure of Schiele himself, contorted into varying positions and selves: 'Schiele the effeminate, the elegant, the dandy; Schiele the fearful, the anguished, the uncertain; Schiele the stoic, the angry; Schiele beautiful and Schiele hideous' (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele: The Complete Works, New York, 1998, p. 68).This period defined his public character as the rebellious maverick who sought to question, probe and shock, intending to expose people for how they really were, and the works somewhat echo the grotesque faces by Leonardo Da Vinci in their gruesome exaggeration. This shock factor certainly helped garner awareness for Schiele at the time but also had a profound effect on his rediscovery later in the twentieth century as longstanding rigid social structures were questioned and confronted more vigorously.This brazen approach to human depiction did however eventually result in the artist's brief incarceration following a string of incidents in rural Austria-Hungary in 1911-1912. Accused of kidnap, rape, and public immorality, he was ultimately only charged with the latter on account of his open display of erotic drawings in his studio home and served a month of jail time. This imprisonment, albeit brief, had a profound effect on the young artist and it was a major catalyst for his renewed approach, it 'checked the wayward slide of his adolescent impulses, shocking him back to reality so that he could complete the process of socialization and take his place in the adult world [...]. He had learned the hard way that his special artistic mission did not, after all, grant him immunity from society's strictures. If he wanted to protect the former, he would, in the future, have to obey the latter' (Kallir, op. cit., p. 127). Nevertheless, controversy can be of huge benefit to the up-and-coming artist, infamously the melancholic Expressionist Edvard Munch became a sensation overnight following national outcry over his works at the Verein Berliner Künstler in November 1892 – an event that ultimately birthed the German avant-garde. Ultimately, Schiele was alert to the profound commercial benefit of this scandal, with his name murmured across the lips of the art-conscious elite.'I want to start anew [...]. It seems to me that until now I have just been preparing the tools' (Schiele quoted in a letter to Anton Peschka in C. Nebehay, Egon Schiele, 1890-1918: Leben, Briefe, Gedichte, Salzburg & Vienna, 1979, p. 209).As Schiele matured emotionally, so he did artistically and by 1917-1918 his output had developed considerably, the period marked with a renewed creative vitality. His works, whilst still focused on the human disposition, comprised a more confident line displaying greater precision and fluidity as he sculpted his sitters with a series of simple loose black lines. Female sitters challengingly confront the viewer with a boldness and unflinching gaze illuminated through their simplified pictoral construction. The faceless doll-like figures of the 1914-1915 period are gone, replaced with a defiant realism. Schiele now appears to shift towards a voyeuristic separation from the model, allowing them ownership of the space, though the raw sensuality of his sitters is by no means diminished by his maturation of style. On the contrary, they themselves are presented with a new confidence and owned eroticism, unseen in previous years, the sexually explicit exchanged for a more tantalisingly suggestive experience.As Jane Kallir commented: 'Schiele's women are, by 1917-18, thoroughly modern. Like most modern women, they own their sexuality. The nude and semi-nude models take pride in their seductive bodies and are empowered by their allure [...]. Nor are they projections of the artist's ego. They combine the mystery and the specificity of complete, independent human beings' (J. Kallir, Egon Schiele's Women, Munich, 2012, p. 266).Indeed, of the present works, Sitzende Frau and Sitzende Frau mit Hut both illustrate this prowess openly, but also via minor subtleties. Found in the catalogue raisonné amongst a series of very similar works of a woman in the chronological stages of undress - some identified as Adele Harms - Sitzende Frau pulls us directly into a modelling session in Schiele's Heitzinger Hauptstraße studio. The model has begun to seductively remove her stocking from a cocked knee, her intimate undergarments hanging suggestively from her shoulders and her hair loosely bound, on the precipice of cascading freely – each element rendered with a minimal line, but successfully conveying the tangibility of a finished painting. Unlike the earlier models, she lacks a vulnerability, instead emanating a proud and defiant confidence, as well as perhaps a more illicit relationship with the artist. Sitzende Frau mit Hut alludes to a separate, more personal relationship, as she gazes directly outwards with a far more intimate and suggestive view. Ev... For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 17
The Millionairess: A Pierre Balmain Dress Made For Sophia Loren For Her Role in the Film 'The Millionairess',20th Century Fox, 1960,a custom-made dress with plunging V-neckline, short balloon sleeves and full knee-length skirt, the dress composed of two layers, the outer layer being made of cream tulle embellished with lace trims together with simulated pearls and Swarovski-embroidered crystals, the second layer complete with fitted bodice, no labels, fitted with two zips at the back, with signs of production wear, accompanied by a promotional photographic still of Sophia Loren wearing the dress, with letter of provenance, No Size,Footnotes:Provenance:Pierre Rouve (1915-1998), Film Producer of 'The Millionairess' (1960). After filming had finished, the Balmain costumes worn by Loren were gifted to individual members of the production team.Then by descent to the current owner.As the titular millionairess Epifania, Sophia Loren stars as the richest woman in the world, whose suitors must prove themselves by turning £500 into £15,000 within three months. After one relationship goes awry, Epifania jumps into the Thames only to encounter Dr. Kabir (Peter Sellers) in his rowboat – a man totally unaware of her wealth. This jewel-embroidered dress is prominently worn by Loren in one of the film's climactic scenes, to mark the moment when she plans to tell Dr. Kabir that he has fulfilled the challenge and they can be married. Sophia Loren's wardrobe for the film, including this dress, was custom made by celebrated fashion designer Pierre Balmain, who is prominently credited in the opening titles for the film. In addition to receiving a BAFTA-nomination for Best Screenplay, 'The Millionairess' also produced a top 5 hit in the UK charts with 'Goodness Gracious Me'. Although it did not appear in the film itself, the George Martin-produced record featured Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers in character as Epifania and Dr. Kabir.The film's Producer, Pierre Rouve, was closely involved in the production and the wellbeing of its star cast – including comforting Sophia when, during filming, her personal jewellery was stolen from set. His later film projects include producing 'Blow-Up' (1966) and 'Diamonds For Breakfast' (1968), but he is also known as a respected linguist and scholar, broadcasting for the BBC World Service and serving as a diplomat during his long and varied career.The respect in which Pierre's work was held is shown in a letter from the Director of 'The Millionairess', Anthony Asquith:'... Just a line, dear Pierre, to tell you how profoundly grateful I am for the countless ways you have made mine and everyone else's work on 'The Millionairess' so specially happy. It is essentially your film....'Literature:S. Rouve, 2008, Peter Ouvaliev Aka Pierre Rouve: A Life, Malier Press, pp.39-41.For further information on this lot please visit Bonhams.com
Lot 281
Beatrice Glenavy (1883-1970) Roses, oils on canvas c. 1952, Signed with monogram lower left ‘BG’, 36cms x 25.5cms (14” x 10”) Inscribed on verso ‘Roses £10 Lady Glenavy RHA, Rockbrook House, Rathfarnham’ Set on a folded cloth, with beach and sea in the background, stands a vase containing a bouquet of roses. Cast perhaps in porcelain, or carved in stone, the monochrome vase is shaped like a hand holding a large bud, the base in the form of a wrist with lace cuff, encircled by a bracelet. As well as pink roses, the bouquet also contains green ferns. It is a classic Glenavy still-life, one that combines realistic elements with more ambiguous, even surreal, elements. A painter fond of introducing such touches of the surreal into her landscapes and still-life paintings, Beatrice Glenavy (neé Elvery) was also a sculptor, stained-glass artist, theatre set painter, and illustrator of childrens’ books. Enrolling as a student at the Metropolitan School of Art in Dublin in 1896, she initially studied under the sculptor John Hughes, and later under the painter William Orpen. A gifted artist, Glenavy won three Taylor Scholarships, enabling her to travel to Paris, where she attended Colarossi’s studio. In 1903 she joined An Túr Gloine (Tower of Glass) and made windows for the Convent of Mercy in Enniskillen. Her allegorical portrait of Maud Gonne, Eire, was presented by Gonne to St. Enda’s, the Irish-speaking school set up by Patrick Pearse. In 1910, Glenavy moved to London, enrolling at the Slade School of Art. Two years later she married the barrister Charles Campbell (later 2nd Baron Glenavy), and devoted much of her life thereafter to raising three children, one of whom, Patrick Campbell, became a celebrated writer and broadcaster. An active member of the RHA (she was elected an associate member in 1932, and a full member two years later) Glenavy showed over two hundred works at the Academy. This painting may be the work entitled Pink Roses, exhibited at the RHA in 1952. Glenavy died in Dublin in 1970.
Lot 164
William Buelow Gould, Australian 1803-1853- Still life scenes with dead rabbit and birds; oils on canvas, each 25.6 x 30.5 cm., two (2). Provenance: Private Collection, UK. Note: We are grateful to Dr Garry Darby for confirming the attribution of the present pair of paintings. Gould was a British-born Tasmanian artist, who was transported to Australia as a convict in 1827. Drawing on the artistic training which he received before his transportation, Gould continued to practice painting and watercolour whilst in Australia, producing still-lives and botanical studies whilst under placement as a house servant to two amateur natural historians, Dr James Scott and Dr William de Little. The present works, depicting tables laden with dead birds and game (as in many of Gould's paintings) recall the compositions of Flemish artists such as Joachim Beuckelaer (c.1533-c.1570), but are nevertheless imbued with the artist's highly distinctive style. These pieces therefore fit very neatly into Gould's oeuvre, displaying a striking similarity with the paintings held by institutions such as the Art Gallery of South Australia and the Art Gallery of New South Wales. For further information on the artist and his oeuvre, see Garry Darby, 'The life and works of William Gould', Sydney, 1980.Please refer to department for condition report
Lot 43
Gabriel Metsu,Dutch 1629-1667-The drinker;oil on canvas laid down on panel, bears traces of initials ‘G M’ (upper right), bears old inscribed label on the reverse, 17.7 x 13 cm.Provenance: Collection of M. le Chevalier V. de Stuers, Directeur General des Beaux-Arts, The Hague.; Collection of Mrs W. E. Gatacre Jonkvrouwe de Stuers, Kasteel de Wiersse, Vorden, Holland; with Alfred Brod Gallery, London.; Private Collection, UK, since 1966.; By descent.Literature: Catalogue of the Collection of M. le Chevalier V. de Stuers, Directeur General des Beaux-Arts, The Hague, 1898.; Hofstede de Groot, ‘A Catalogue Raisonne of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century’, Vol. I, 1908, no.196.; Victor de Stuers, ‘Manuscript Catalogue of his Collection’, 1915, no.303.; Franklin W. Robinson, ‘Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667), A Study of His Place in Dutch Genre Painting of the Golden Age’, New York, 1974, p.16, fig.2 (illustrated).; Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., ‘Review of Robinson 1974,’ Art Bulletin 58, 1976, p.457.; Adriaan Waiboer, ‘Gabriel Metsu’, New Haven and London, 2010, p.319, no.D-23 (illustrated).Note: Dr Adriaan Waiboer, to whom we are grateful, has confirmed the attribution of the present lot after first-hand inspection, and has suggested its dating to the mid-1650s. Having initially rejected the attribution on the basis of black and white photographs (see A. Waiboer ‘Gabriel Metsu’, 2010, no.D-23), he has revised his opinion.Metsu was one of the leading figures in the founding of the Leiden Guild of Saint Luke, of which he became a member in 1648. Between circa 1650-2, the guild records show that Metsu was absent, and he probably spent part of this time in Utrecht. By 1657 he was living permanently in Amsterdam where he died prematurely at the age of 39. It was in the years 1653-54 that Metsu began to distance himself from the influence of Nicolaus Knupfer (c.1603-1655/60), the Utrecht painter who specialised in biblical and mythological subjects, and began to seek inspiration from a wider variety of artists. The canvas, thematically unrelated to and much smaller than the Knupferian paintings he had executed in the early 1650s, is evidence of the artist’s change of direction, and belongs to a long tradition of Dutch and Flemish images of men drinking and smoking in a tavern — paintings commonly seen in collectors’ homes, the shops of art dealers, and the workshops of other painters. The tone is meditative, rather than didactic or narrative, and there is a new emphasis on the rendering of everyday objects – the exquisitely rendered earthenware jug, for example, and the pipe – which suggests Metsu’s imagination may have been captured by the still life works of Leiden artists, such as Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1683/4) or Jan Lievens (1607-1674). Metsu's pictures were sought after by the urban elite in the cities where he worked, Leiden and Amsterdam. Yet he also had several noble patrons, including August II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony, who owned an unidentified 'tobacco smoker' (A. Waiboer, p.119). In the 18th century, his fame continued to grow and his paintings were more desirable than those of his contemporary Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), with whom he exchanged mutual influence (A. Waiboer, pp.29-51). For a comparable composition by the artist, though on copper, see his ‘Smoker seated at a table’, now in private hands, which was offered at Sotheby’s, London, 5 December 2007, lot 8 (see A. Waiboer, “Smoker Seated at a Table” (2017). In The Leiden Collection Catalogue, 3rd ed. Edited by Arthur K. Wheelock Jr. and Lara Yeager-Crasselt. New York, 2020).Please refer to department for condition report
Lot 50
Attributed to Anthonie Palamedesz, Dutch 1601-1673- Portrait of a lady, small-half-length, in a green and white dress with white collar, in a feigned oval; oil on panel, 21.5 x 16.2 cm. Provenance: Anon. sale, Christie’s, London, 12 December 1996, lot 310.; The estate of the late designer Anthony Powell. Note: The present work is a remarkably powerful portrait, with its small scale creating a heightened sense of intimacy between the sitter and the viewer. The painting has been executed with incredibly fine brushstrokes, thereby creating a sensitive and life-like depiction, and allowing the artist to evoke a strong sense of the sitter’s presence. The style and subject-matter situate the painting firmly in the context of the 17th-century Netherlands, particularly evident in the elaborate clothing of the sitter, with her sumptuous lace collar recalling those depicted in the portraits of contemporary artists such as Frans Hals (1582-1666). The formal, restrained pose of the sitter imbues her with a sense of gravitas which, along with her rich garments and gleaming pearls, emphasise her status and wealth. Born in Leith, Scotland, Palamedesz’s father was an artist in the service of the Scottish King James VI. His family moved to Delft in the Dutch Republic when Palamedes was still young, and it was there that he received his training under leading portrait painter Michiel Jansz. van Mierevelt (1566-1641) and history and genre painter Hans Jordaens (1555-1630). The panel is secure in the frame and sits well.The paint surface is stable on the support. Some losses to the paint surface, particularly at the left and lower edges and where the feigned oval meets the dark background to the right. Some further areas where the paint appears thin. Some minor scratches, abrasions, marks and surface dirt. The painted details, especially to the sitter's face, hair and dress are very well preserved. Under UV lamp, old retouching to the feigned oval line in the round, to the left corners, to a small area to the right of the sitter's head (her left, either side of the oval line), and some tiny and localised spots to (presumably) soften some of the natural circular irregularities in the panel around the sitter's head. Very little to no retouching to the sitter herself. Overall in very good near original condition.
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