- 5
Netherlandish School, 16th century
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- A Glass design: the martyrdom of a saint
- Pen and brown ink and grey wash
Provenance
Maurice Delacre, Ghent, his sale, Bern, Gutekunst & Klipstein, 21 June 1949, lot 1 (as Pieter Coecke van Aelst);
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 8 January 1991, lot 159 (as Follower of Pieter Coecke van Aelst)
sale, New York, Sotheby's, 8 January 1991, lot 159 (as Follower of Pieter Coecke van Aelst)
Literature
K.G. Boon, Catalogue of the Dutch and Flemish Drawings in the Rijksmuseum: Netherlandish Drawings of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries, Amsterdam 1978, vol. II, p. 203, under no. 537
Condition
Laid down, and then window mounted. Made up in the lower right corner, and with several other repaired losses, bottom centre and top right. Other repaired tears. The sheet torn or cracked down a vertical fold in the central space dividing the glass panels. Some surface dirt and spots. Still, however, reasonably strong and legible.
"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 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."
Catalogue Note
Among the most notable saints who are supposed to have been beaten with clubs are St. Lambert of Maastricht, St. George and St. Sebastian (who recovered from his better-known ordeal by arrows, only to be clubbed to death). The victim's Roman costume does not fit with the first of these identifications, but St. George and St. Sebastian were both killed in persecutions undertaken during the late third century by the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian, so it is more likely that the martyrdom depicted is one of theirs.
Rather similar in execution is another glass design in the Rijksmuseum, showing St. Sebastian being shot with arrows. Like the present drawing, it was formerly attributed to Pieter Coecke van Aelst, but is now considered an anonymous work dating from around 1550.