GRABADOS ARENBERG 19.10.2019

Oude tekeningen & schilderijen – Dessins et peintures anciens
A young man fighting with a Centaur. He pokes him with a spear, causing the
mythological creature to cry out in (romantic) agony. The figures are skilfully
drawn with a sure hand. The drawing is slightly similar in its handling of lines
to a design of Gerard ter Borch which uses a similar subject matter. The latter is
now in the collection of the Rijksmuseum (inv. RP-T-1887-A-740).
15 [Dutch school]
Mythological or Biblical scene. 17th c.
Drawing, red pencil with grey wash and graphite pencil grid lines, 39,5 x 22,8 cm,
thick paper, unsigned (paper sl. soiled, old glue marks on verso). Sold unframed.
400 / 500 €
This intriguing sheet, which depicts a man on his sick or deathbed visited by a
royal couple, is most likely a cartoon drawing for a larger wall painting under
a round arch. This is not only indicated by the particular shape, but also by
the fact that it is squared for transfer in stylus or pencil. The iconography and
corresponding painting of the scene is yet to be identified. It has been suggested
that the present work bears a resemblance, on stylistic grounds, to that of
the Dutch painter and art theorist, Gérard de Lairesse (1640-1711), though
no compelling evidence has, thus far, been provided to further endorse this
attribution.
16 [Dutch school]
BAKHUIZEN, Ludolf - Ships off the coast of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam, c. 1660-1708.
Drawing, 10 x 16 cm, pen and brown ink, brown and grey wash, black framing
lines, laid paper, unsigned (brown stain at upper left edge). Under passe-partout,
under wooden gilt frame (not studied outside frame).
1.500 / 2.000 €
Exceptional drawing attributed to Bakhuizen (1630-1708) with ships docking in
the harbour of Amsterdam. In the far distance we can see the buildings of the
Dutch Sea Arsenal. On the left foreground the maritime view is supplemented
by a mythological scene with Neptune rising from the waves, escorted by
seahorses and nereids. The inclusion of such mythological elements is extremely
rare in the drawn oeuvre of Bakhuizen, which mostly consists of seascapes. The
later ms. attribution to Bakhuizen on the the passe-partout complies with the
stylistic and technical execution as seen in the attributed oeuvre of the Dutch
painter and draughtsman. The composition and orientation is similar to a signed
painting by Bakhuizen of 1696, now in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum
(inv. B 2764). The drawing is accompanied by a certificate.
Ref. https://rkd.nl/explore/images/8835. - G. de Beer, «Ludolf Backhuysen
(1630-1708). Sein Leben und Werk», Zwolle 2002, p. 145, no. 90.
17 [Dutch school]
Follower of BERCHEM, Nicolaes - Italian landscape with
shepherds and maids at a fountain. C. 1650-1683.
Drawing, pen and brown ink with brown wash, 19 x 25 cm, laid paper mounted
on 19th-c. paper, attributed by later hand «Berghem» in lower left corner
(trimmed inside image at top and bottom, two blue ink stains in centre affecting
the image, def. at left lower corner with loss of image, dampstain at upper right
corner, vertical creases with loss of image at lower right corner). Under passepartout,
under gilt frame (not studied outside frame).
300 / 450 €
Idyllic scene with country people gathering around a drinking fountain. The
manner in which the brown wash is applied and the rendering of the faces seem
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12 • ARENBERG AUCTIONS • 19.10.2019