Gerrit Claesz. Bleker

J.H. Sperling, Catton House, Norwich;
His sale, Norwich, 28 September - 1 October 1886, lot 743 (as Dutch School);
Dr. Herbert Girardet, Kettwig, by 1965;
Thence by descent.

Solingen, Niederländische Landschaften und Seestücke des 17. Jahrhunderts aus westdeutschem Privatbesitz, 1965-6, no. 59 (reproduced in the catalogue);
Cologne, Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, 24 January-30 March 1970, Rotterdam, Museum Boijmans-van Beuningen, 24 April-7 June 1970, Sammlung Herbert Girardet. Holländische und flämische Meister, no. 59 (as by Esaias van de Velde).

H. Vey, Sammlung Herbert Girardet. Holländische und flämische Meister, exhibition catalogue, Cologne 1970, (unpaginated), cat. no. 59, reproduced;
G.S. Keyes, Esaias van de Velde 1587-1630, Doornspijk 1984, p. 203, cat. no. REJ 60, as "by Gerrit Claesz. Bleker."

The actual painting is less red and warmer in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The single thick oak panel is sound, and bevelled on the lower and right sides. A thin horizontal split lower centre, and two smaller ones along the left edge and another along the right edge, have been secured to the reverse with strips of wood. The paint surface appears to be in good condition, if slightly thin in some areas. There's some minor frame abrasion along the edges. The paint surface is under a slightly dirty and yellowed varnish. Inspection under UV light reveals retouchings along the aforementioned splits, a few additional scattered tiny ones, and some larger areas of retouching in the sky. Offered in a decorative carved and gilt wood frame in good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

In the 1886 sale catalogue¹, this picture was merely catalogued as 'Dutch School', and the entry recorded a label identifying the subject as the Search for Charles I of England, while noting (correctly as it turns out) that the picture is of an earlier date. The subsequent attribution is unexplained, but is understandable, given the debt of style to Van de Velde. Nonetheless, S.J. Gudlaugsson suggested an attribution to Bleker in 1969, which George Keyes confirmed in his Van de Velde catalogue raisonné in 1984.²

Although it does not look much like his later pictures, which have muted tones and softly moulded figures under the influence of the tonal landscape painters, this picture is very close in style to Bleker's early signed Stag Hunt in the Dunes in the Frans Hals Museum, Haarlem (fig. 1), and his Raid on a Village in the National Gallery, Dublin (fig. 2). The high colour key, the figures, the trees, and the brushstrokes in the foreground in all three pictures are distinctive and very similar to one another. The Dublin picture is dated 1628 and the Haarlem picture (the last digit of its date is missing) is generally dated to the same year, so it seems likely that this picture dates from circa 1626-8. Bleker was strongly influenced by Esaias van de Velde in his early work, and this picture is close to Van de Velde's style at the end of his short career, in the late 1620s.

1. See under Provenance.
2. See Keyes, under Literature.