Roelandt Savery

Lodi Collection, Munich, 1965, no. 8;
Anonymous sale, Munich, Hugo Ruef, 15 June 1972;
Anonymous sale, Zurich, Koller, 16 May 1980, lot 5180, for CHF 215,000.

K.J. Müllenmeister, "Roelandt Savery, Kortrijk 1576-1639", in Tableau, 1980, p. 461;
K.J. Müllenmeister, Meer und Land im Licht des 17. Jahrhunderts, vol. III, Bremen 1981, p. 53, no. 381;
K.J. Müllenmeister, Roelant Savery, Freren 1988, p. 322, cat. no. 259, reproduced, where listed as location unknown.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The canvas has been lined and the paint layer is stable. The original thin paint layer has been compromised in some areas, e.g. the sky, upper left where the ground colour has been revealed, and down through the ships and the harbour and into the three cows on the left. All these areas have been augmented; likewise the dark shadow of the cave , left, and the dark rocks in the lower left foreground. The glazing to the tree, upper right and the leaves to the tree on the left have been slightly abraded also. However, there are areas where the paint is well preserved, the impasto is untouched and the colours are strong. Removing the discoloured varnish would improve the tonality considerably. A worthwhile restoration project. Offered in a dark wood and gilt frame in good condition."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Roelandt Savery was of Flemish origin but moved to Haarlem with his parents in about 1585, where he received training as a painter from his brother Jacob (c.1565-1603). His early landscapes, which did not yet include animals, reflect the influence of his elder brother as well as his Flemish origins, showing the influence in particular of Hans Bol (1534-1593), Gillis van Coninxloo (1544-1607) and Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625). By 1602 Roelant had settled in Amsterdam, before moving to Prague to enter the service of Rudolph II until the emperor's death in 1613.

At Rudolph's court Savery came into contact with a group of international artists including Bartholomaus Spranger (1546-before 1611) and Hans von Aachen (1552-1615). He drew studies of the animals in Rudolph's hunting fields and also the exotic animals and birds in the emperor's menageries, as Rudolph had amassed the greatest cabinet of curiosities, or Kunst- und Wunderkammer, of the day. His interest in animals and their natural environment was further heightened by a series of sketches commissioned by Rudolph of Savery's travels in Tyrol circa 1606-7. The resultant drawings, depicting impressive jagged mountain peaks, rivers and waterfalls, later served as reference material for Savery's paintings.

The artist's preoccupation with transcribing nature, and his predilection for fantastically bizarre rocky landscapes are clearly reflected in the present painting. The finely detailed plants and the masterfully stylised cattle are typical of Savery's style. The present work, dated 1622, can be compared to other fantastical landscapes of this period with cattle by a river, for example his Landscape with cows, deer, waterfowl, a goat and sheep by a torrent under a ruined arch, a ruined tower beyond which was sold Amsterdam, Christie's, 8 May 1995, lot 75.

Savery returned to Amsterdam in 1613, then moved to Utrecht in 1619 with his nephew Hans Savery II where he joined the painter's guild and remained until his death in 1639. In Utrecht, his flower pieces provided models for the German painter Jakob Marrel (1613-1681), while his landscapes and animal paintings were the inspiration for Hans, his only pupil, and Gillis Claesz. d'Hondecoeter (circa 1580-1638).

This lot is accompanied by a certificate from Dr. Walther Bernt, dated Munich 11 January 1965, endorsing the attribution to Savery.