Lot 242
  • 242

Herman van Swanevelt

Estimate
10,000 - 15,000 USD
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Description

  • Herman van Swanevelt
  • An Italianate landscape, with figures walking in the foreground (Morning)
  • Pen and brown ink with gray wash over traces of black chalk within partial pen and brown ink framing lines

Provenance

William Mayor (L.2799)

Literature

Possibly W. Mayor, A brief chronological description of a collection of original drawings and sketches by the old masters of the different schools of Europe : from the revival of art in Italy in the XIIIth to the XIXth century, London 1875, p. 148, no. 731

Condition

Sheet is not laid down. There is a brown stain at the upper margin in the center. A few other smaller brown stains in the sky on the left of the sheet. Some small losses to the medium. However in general the medium remains fairly strong and overall condition is good.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

This atmospheric Italian landscape study must have served as the basis for Swanevelt's painting (fig. 1), one of a pair of compositions representing Morning and Evening, in the Dulwich Picture Gallery.1  Both paintings are fully signed but sadly illegibly dated, although Steland considers they were most likely executed in 1647 or '48, in the middle of the artist's stay in Paris (the dates on the paintings are accompanied by the inscription PAR[IS]).  A drawing by Swanevelt in the British Museum corresponds in composition to the second Dulwich painting, Evening, though like the present drawing, it differs from its painted counterpart in details of staffage.2  Both sheets are outstanding examples of Swanevelt's elegant drawing style and sophisticated sense of lighting.

In an email of 2 December 2015, Dr. Steland has kindly confirmed the attribution, and the connection with the Dulwich painting.

1.  A.C. Steland, Herman van Swanevelt, 2 vols. Petersberg 2010, vol. I, pp. 57, 139, no. G 1, 21 A, reproduced vol. II, p. 469, fig. G 137 

2.  Steland, op. cit., vol. I, pp. 57, 278-9, no. Z 1, 36, reproduced vol. II, p. 639, fig. Z 186