Pieter Huys

Ursiaz, Andalusia, by the mid 19^th century, and thence by descent to the present owner.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting on panel has an original join running through the center and the reverse has an old cradle. However, the cradle needs a little adjustment and the paint layer is not only very dirty but remains quite unstable in the center and across the top two or three inches. If the painting were to be properly and carefully cleaned, numerous and marvelous details would be revealed throughout and the condition appears to be very promising. There will have been some discoloration to the green foliage and darker passages, but nonetheless this is a work with great potential to change for the better.
"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."

This painting can be compared stylistically to a work  by  Pieter Huys in the Louvre, signed and dated 1547, also representing the temptation of St. Anthony¹.  Pieter Huys rearranged his Bosch-like compositions as needed using similar elements in several different compositions.  The present painting comes close in composition to a painting formerly in the Abraham van Stolk collection in Rotterdam. ² 

 

1.  A. Brejon de Lavergnée, Catalogue sommaire illustré du Musée du Louvre, Ecoles flamande et hollandaise, Paris 1979, p. 73, inv. no RF 3996, reproduced).
2.  Sale, Vienna, Dorotheum, 10 October 1996, lot 112.