Plus 17C Art
not including Chinese art
The lots below do not currently have a position in a thematic page.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
The lots below do not currently have a position in a thematic page.
Except otherwise stated, all results include the premium.
Combat between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Brueghel
2012 SOLD for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's
Pieter Bruegel the elder is one the most popular ancient masters for the public of today. We love his celebrations, his many characters in very diverse attitudes who are busy in a medieval atmosphere. He has recorded for us the life of another time.
His themes, allegories, proverbs, parables, however, are well positioning this artist at the time when the religious crisis shook Europe, when Cranach and Titian, in their own way, were looking for the meaning of good and evil.
The Battle between Carnival and Lent, in 1559, is one of the most complex compositions of Bruegel. On the pretext of a festival on the village square, it shows people, their occupations, their games, and two processions facing each other in such a way that they irreversibly inhibit any possible progress. Carnival comes out of the inn and Lent out of the church.
Fortunately, the sons of the founder of the workshop were also excellent painters. Although being copies, the five known examples of the Battle between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Brueghel the younger are masterpieces.
Only one of these five paintings, it seems, has been dated using dendrochronology. This version of 1603, 118 x 166 cm, has been previously discussed in this group. In neglected condition, it was sold for £ 2M by Christie's on December 7, 2010.
On similar size and in very good condition, the only canvas of the group was sold by Christie's for £ 3.25M on 7 December 2006, and £ 6.9M on December 6, 2011.
Also in similar dimensions, the best preserved of the four panels was sold for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's on July 4, 2012, lot 11.
His themes, allegories, proverbs, parables, however, are well positioning this artist at the time when the religious crisis shook Europe, when Cranach and Titian, in their own way, were looking for the meaning of good and evil.
The Battle between Carnival and Lent, in 1559, is one of the most complex compositions of Bruegel. On the pretext of a festival on the village square, it shows people, their occupations, their games, and two processions facing each other in such a way that they irreversibly inhibit any possible progress. Carnival comes out of the inn and Lent out of the church.
Fortunately, the sons of the founder of the workshop were also excellent painters. Although being copies, the five known examples of the Battle between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Brueghel the younger are masterpieces.
Only one of these five paintings, it seems, has been dated using dendrochronology. This version of 1603, 118 x 166 cm, has been previously discussed in this group. In neglected condition, it was sold for £ 2M by Christie's on December 7, 2010.
On similar size and in very good condition, the only canvas of the group was sold by Christie's for £ 3.25M on 7 December 2006, and £ 6.9M on December 6, 2011.
Also in similar dimensions, the best preserved of the four panels was sold for £ 4.5M by Sotheby's on July 4, 2012, lot 11.
1605-1610 Massacre of the Innocents by Pieter Brueghel
2009 SOLD for £ 4.6M by Sotheby's
Painted ca 1565 by Pieter Bruegel, the Massacre of the Innocents is a response to the outbreak of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish rule. The artist staged the event in a Dutch village under a heavy snow that provides a high contrast with the ongoing drama.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
Ertz recognized 11 autograph Massacres and 45 Traps by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the younger. A Massacre dated 1593 is one of his earliest works.
A Massacre of the Innocents, oil on oak 122 x 170 cm by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 4.6M from a lower estimate of £ 2.5M by Sotheby's on July 8, 2009, lot 13. It is dated around 1605-1610 in compliance with its dendrochronology. It is very close to the original composition by his father.
Five Bird Traps were dated by the artist between 1601 and 1626. The last of them, 40 x 57 cm, was sold for £ 3.9M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014.
Conceived in smaller size in parallel with the Massacre, the Bird Trap allegory is its moralizing counterpart in the same village and same snow, with peaceful ice skaters replacing the Spanish soldiers and German mercenaries. The Bird Trap title cannot be understood without referring to the Massacre : Take care, a quiet scenery may hide a trap to the innocents.
Ertz recognized 11 autograph Massacres and 45 Traps by Bruegel's son Pieter Brueghel the younger. A Massacre dated 1593 is one of his earliest works.
A Massacre of the Innocents, oil on oak 122 x 170 cm by Pieter the younger, was sold for £ 4.6M from a lower estimate of £ 2.5M by Sotheby's on July 8, 2009, lot 13. It is dated around 1605-1610 in compliance with its dendrochronology. It is very close to the original composition by his father.
Five Bird Traps were dated by the artist between 1601 and 1626. The last of them, 40 x 57 cm, was sold for £ 3.9M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014.
Winter Landscape with Ice Skaters by AVERCAMP
1
for reference
1608
Art Museums of Bergen
Working in his native Amsterdam and later in Kampen, Hendrick Avercamp was a painter of winter scenes in the manner of Pieter Bruegel but without a reference to proverbs. He was a miserable man, certainly mute and probably deaf, and only scant biographical details are known.
Winters were very cold in Northern Europe in his period and people had to endure unbroken weeks of severe snow and frozen river. The artist painted busy groups of all ages, sorts and occupations in a superb light of a frozen mist. His characters were gradually included in his art in a multitude with a Bruegelian humor. Their reuse enables a chronology of his paintings.
A landscape kept in Bergen museum is an early example of his style, dated 1608 when he was 23 years old. Below a high horizon from a high viewpoint, couples are ice skating and groups are chattering on the river.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
Winters were very cold in Northern Europe in his period and people had to endure unbroken weeks of severe snow and frozen river. The artist painted busy groups of all ages, sorts and occupations in a superb light of a frozen mist. His characters were gradually included in his art in a multitude with a Bruegelian humor. Their reuse enables a chronology of his paintings.
A landscape kept in Bergen museum is an early example of his style, dated 1608 when he was 23 years old. Below a high horizon from a high viewpoint, couples are ice skating and groups are chattering on the river.
The image is shared by Wikimedia.
2
1610
2014 SOLD for £ 5M by Sotheby's
An early oil on panel was painted ca 1610 with a terminus post quem in 1609 in a reference to the Treaty of Antwerp with a group of soldiers laying out the arms. Its 70 x 110 cm size includes a later plank as identified by dendrochronology that increases the sky. It was sold for £ 5M from a lower estimate of £ 1M by Sotheby's on July 9, 2014, lot 4.
3
1610-1615
2004 SOLD for $ 8.7M by Sotheby's
An oil on panel 54 x 95 cm painted in the first half of the 1610s was sold for $ 8.7M by Sotheby's on January 22, 2004, lot 26.
1612 Jupiter and Antiope by Goltzius
2010 SOLD for $ 6.8M by Sotheby's
The early seventeenth century is marked by the influence of Italians on Flemish and Dutch painting. Just coming back from Italy, the master of Antwerp, Rubens, painted around 1609-1611 a Massacre of the Innocents sold for £ 49.5M by Sotheby's in 2002.
Go further to the North. Haarlem is not yet knowing Frans Hals. Hendrick Goltzius, also influenced by Italy, led his artistic career with a degree of originality. Recognized as one of the best printmakers of his time, he decided in 1600, aged 42, to practice the great art of oil painting.
Like Rubens, Goltzius uses the ancient and mythological themes as an excuse to show nudes. The flesh shown by Goltzius is abundant and always erotic. On January 28, 2010, Sotheby's sold for $ 6.8M Jupiter and Antiope of 1612, 122 x 178 cm. The young woman is sleeping, naked in the light, thus being offered to a satyr. It is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity.
This piece has been returned by the Dutch government to the heirs of the Jewish family which had been forced to sell it to Göring.
Go further to the North. Haarlem is not yet knowing Frans Hals. Hendrick Goltzius, also influenced by Italy, led his artistic career with a degree of originality. Recognized as one of the best printmakers of his time, he decided in 1600, aged 42, to practice the great art of oil painting.
Like Rubens, Goltzius uses the ancient and mythological themes as an excuse to show nudes. The flesh shown by Goltzius is abundant and always erotic. On January 28, 2010, Sotheby's sold for $ 6.8M Jupiter and Antiope of 1612, 122 x 178 cm. The young woman is sleeping, naked in the light, thus being offered to a satyr. It is illustrated in the press release shared by AuctionPublicity.
This piece has been returned by the Dutch government to the heirs of the Jewish family which had been forced to sell it to Göring.
1618-1620 Two Studies of a Head by van Dyck
2010 SOLD for $ 7.3M by Sotheby's
Born in Antwerp, Antoon van Dyck is a precocious artist. Barely ten years old, he studies painting with van Balen. As early as 1615 he opens a workshop with another teenager, Jan, the son of Jan Brueghel the Elder. In 1618 he is admitted as an independent artist to the guild of Saint-Luke.
During that decade, art in Antwerp is dominated by the very prosperous workshop of Rubens, who trains pupils and employs many assistants. Van Dyck learns there the new style, baroque art. Around 1618 Rubens considers that he is his best collaborator.
From 1618 to 1620 van Dyck is prolific. Alongside baroque religious scenes, he prepares his future by making expressive portraits.
On January 28, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 176 for $ 7.3M a double head, oil on canvas 45 x 67 cm. This study shows in two different angles the bust of a man with a very dense black beard, with naked torso. The double portrait was certainly painted simultaneously. The one on the left expresses introspection and the one on the right violence. These studies were used by the artist in two biblical scenes and two secular scenes.
The terminus post quem of this painting could be 1618 because of its great pictorial quality. The terminus ante quem is the artist's short stay in 1620 in London, where he observes Titian's exquisite use of colors.
A younger double head painted on panel by Rubens ca 1615-1617 in a nearly identical size was sold for £ 3.8M by Christie's on December 6, 2007, lot 7.
During that decade, art in Antwerp is dominated by the very prosperous workshop of Rubens, who trains pupils and employs many assistants. Van Dyck learns there the new style, baroque art. Around 1618 Rubens considers that he is his best collaborator.
From 1618 to 1620 van Dyck is prolific. Alongside baroque religious scenes, he prepares his future by making expressive portraits.
On January 28, 2010, Sotheby's sold as lot 176 for $ 7.3M a double head, oil on canvas 45 x 67 cm. This study shows in two different angles the bust of a man with a very dense black beard, with naked torso. The double portrait was certainly painted simultaneously. The one on the left expresses introspection and the one on the right violence. These studies were used by the artist in two biblical scenes and two secular scenes.
The terminus post quem of this painting could be 1618 because of its great pictorial quality. The terminus ante quem is the artist's short stay in 1620 in London, where he observes Titian's exquisite use of colors.
A younger double head painted on panel by Rubens ca 1615-1617 in a nearly identical size was sold for £ 3.8M by Christie's on December 6, 2007, lot 7.
1624 Cycle of the Seasons by Pieter Brueghel the younger
2016 SOLD for £ 6.5M by Christie's
The occupations of the months are often illustrated in the books of hours next to the calendar pages. This is a logical theme for Pieter Bruegel, who specializes in scenes from rural life. In 1565 he paints a set of six oils on panel in very large size, each featuring two months.
The next cycle is a set of four prints on the seasons. The edition, in 1570, includes two works prepared by Hans Bol after Bruegel's death.
Pieter the Younger reuses most of the iconography left by his father. He makes complete sets of the cycle of the seasons, most of which have been dissociated.
Much to the frustration of experts, the only complete example in private hands had not been seen since an auction in Switzerland in 1927. It was sold by Christie's on July 7, 2016 for £ 6.5M from a lower estimate of £ 3M, lot 6, after having been kept aside in a collection for nine decades.
The set consists of four oils on panel 42 x 57 cm each. Two are dated 1624. The four are signed P. Breughel, according to the alteration of his name which he was using since 1616. The arrangement of the signatures and dates suggests that this group was designed to be hung as a 2 x 2 square. The careful and homogeneous workmanship of these four paintings and the identification of the date, very rare for Pieter the Younger, attest to the importance the artist attached to this specific set.
The next cycle is a set of four prints on the seasons. The edition, in 1570, includes two works prepared by Hans Bol after Bruegel's death.
Pieter the Younger reuses most of the iconography left by his father. He makes complete sets of the cycle of the seasons, most of which have been dissociated.
Much to the frustration of experts, the only complete example in private hands had not been seen since an auction in Switzerland in 1927. It was sold by Christie's on July 7, 2016 for £ 6.5M from a lower estimate of £ 3M, lot 6, after having been kept aside in a collection for nine decades.
The set consists of four oils on panel 42 x 57 cm each. Two are dated 1624. The four are signed P. Breughel, according to the alteration of his name which he was using since 1616. The arrangement of the signatures and dates suggests that this group was designed to be hung as a 2 x 2 square. The careful and homogeneous workmanship of these four paintings and the identification of the date, very rare for Pieter the Younger, attest to the importance the artist attached to this specific set.
The Four Seasons: Spring; Summer; Autumn; and Winter by Pieter Brueghel II sells
— Christie's (@ChristiesInc) July 7, 2016
over estimate achieving £6,466,500 pic.twitter.com/ct1E886gXK
1628 Pair of Portraits by van Dyck
2021 SOLD for £ 6.2M by Sotheby's
A pair of three quarter length portraits in oil on canvases 95 x 75 cm was sold for £ 6.2M from a lower estimate of £ 4M by Sotheby's on December 8, 2021, lot 6. Their masterly execution make them unquestionably attributed to Anthony Van Dyck.
The couple was identified as Jacob and Maria de Witte from a coat of arms for the husband and from crests. Jacob was a notary in Antwerp, so it makes no doubt that the work was made when the artist was in his home city.
Jacob and Maria married in 1618. The assumption of a later execution is relevant. Temporarily back from London for his second Antwerp period, Van Dyck was very active as a portraitist around 1628. He was then taking the unusual practice of positioning the wife on the left side, which is the case in this pair. Nevertheless their voluminous ruffs was already out of fashion at that time, superseded by more flexible Flemish ruffs.
The pair had surfaced in Antwerp in 1899. The paint was beautifully preserved under some repaints and coatings. When the unnecessary layers were removed, it was found that the hands of both characters had not been finished by the master and the identifying crests had been added in period by another painter.
The couple was identified as Jacob and Maria de Witte from a coat of arms for the husband and from crests. Jacob was a notary in Antwerp, so it makes no doubt that the work was made when the artist was in his home city.
Jacob and Maria married in 1618. The assumption of a later execution is relevant. Temporarily back from London for his second Antwerp period, Van Dyck was very active as a portraitist around 1628. He was then taking the unusual practice of positioning the wife on the left side, which is the case in this pair. Nevertheless their voluminous ruffs was already out of fashion at that time, superseded by more flexible Flemish ruffs.
The pair had surfaced in Antwerp in 1899. The paint was beautifully preserved under some repaints and coatings. When the unnecessary layers were removed, it was found that the hands of both characters had not been finished by the master and the identifying crests had been added in period by another painter.
#AuctionUpdate These beautifully preserved portraits of Jacob de Witte & Maria Nutius are supreme examples of Sir Anthony van Dyck's proficiency as a portrait painter.
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) December 8, 2021
Last sold at Sotheby's in 1976 for £38,000, tonight they brought £6,172,800#SothebysMasters pic.twitter.com/l0NzKCTHNn
1633-1635 Virtue and Vice by Francken
2010 SOLD for € 7M by Dorotheum
Frans Francken the younger was a painter of Antwerp and a contemporary of Rubens. This master is known for much animated scenes from mythology and the Old Testament, and some curious interpretations of collectors' showrooms.
On April 21, 2010, Dorotheum sold for € 7M an outstanding oil on panel 142 x 211 cm by Francken on the moralizing theme of human choice between vices and virtues, lot 5. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The composition is in two superimposed registers, according to the practice which had been so common in medieval iconography, long before this painting dated 1633 or 1635.
Upstairs, in an architectural environment, a pilgrim is surrounded by the virtues, on the left of the image, and vices and sins, on the right. Above him, a cloud is housing the Paradise. The lower register shows Hell with Satan and his pleasures.
On April 21, 2010, Dorotheum sold for € 7M an outstanding oil on panel 142 x 211 cm by Francken on the moralizing theme of human choice between vices and virtues, lot 5. The image is shared by Wikimedia.
The composition is in two superimposed registers, according to the practice which had been so common in medieval iconography, long before this painting dated 1633 or 1635.
Upstairs, in an architectural environment, a pilgrim is surrounded by the virtues, on the left of the image, and vices and sins, on the right. Above him, a cloud is housing the Paradise. The lower register shows Hell with Satan and his pleasures.
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early 1640s Maritime Pen Painting by Van de Velde
2015 SOLD for $ 5.4M by Sotheby's
In the early 1640s, Willem van de Velde is working in the Dutch harbors and on shipboard. He draws sketches that will serve him for his portraits of ships and later for his best known specialty: the paintings of naval battles. He is commonly referred as van de Velde the Elder to avoid confusing him with his son.
At that time, van de Velde developed a new technique, the penschilderij. He considered after Goltzius that a work of art can reuse on panel or canvas the techniques of drawing for providing the same sharpness of details on a larger size.
The preparation was long and difficult because the white coating used in background had to be perfectly dry to support the whole quality of a pen drawing. No other artist reused the penschilderej.
On January 29, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of $ 2M the view of an unidentified harbor with boats and a lively shore, pen painting in ink and oil on panel 48 x 65 cm, lot 32.
The achievement combining the qualities of a painting and those of a drawing is excellent. The artist has managed to execute the backgrounds in a softer line, improving the perception of distance and atmosphere under the beautiful cloudy sky.
At that time, van de Velde developed a new technique, the penschilderij. He considered after Goltzius that a work of art can reuse on panel or canvas the techniques of drawing for providing the same sharpness of details on a larger size.
The preparation was long and difficult because the white coating used in background had to be perfectly dry to support the whole quality of a pen drawing. No other artist reused the penschilderej.
On January 29, 2015, Sotheby's sold for $ 5.4M from a lower estimate of $ 2M the view of an unidentified harbor with boats and a lively shore, pen painting in ink and oil on panel 48 x 65 cm, lot 32.
The achievement combining the qualities of a painting and those of a drawing is excellent. The artist has managed to execute the backgrounds in a softer line, improving the perception of distance and atmosphere under the beautiful cloudy sky.
#AuctionUpdate: A bidding war drives Willem van de Velde's depiction of a Dutch Harbor to $5.4M, an #ArtistRecord pic.twitter.com/q6wkbNrwzo
— Sotheby's (@Sothebys) January 29, 2015
