- 851
Johann Melchior Roos
Estimate
6,000 - 8,000 GBP
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Description
- Johann Melchior Roos
- Wild boars in a wooded landscape; and Bears in a wooded landscape
- both signed and dated on the rock, left and right respectively: JMRoos. / fecit. 1718. (JMR in ligature)
- a pair, both oil on panel
Condition
The panels are both uncradled, flat and stable. The paint surfaces are relatively clean and the varnish is only slightly discoloured. In overall good condition.
Wild boars: There is a repaired vertical split running the length of the panel, about a third from the left margin. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals old, minimal retouching to the aforementioned split, and a more recent campaign of retouching. This is comprised of scattered spot retouching in the trunks of the trees, and even more sparsely in the bodies of the boar.
Bears: the panel is uncradled, flat and stable. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals similar spot retouching to the tree trunks, and spot retouching to some of the darks in the bears' fur.
"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
These paintings reflect Johann Melchior Roos' predilection for depicting bears and other wild animals resting, playing and climbing around in rocky landscapes, following in the tradition of animal paintings of the previous generation by Carl Borromäus Andreas Ruthhart (1630-1703). Roos appears to have particularly focused on these kinds of scenes between the years 1716-18. A painting in the Mittelrhein-Museum in Koblenz, dated 1716, shows bears inhabiting the same enigmatic landscape with a clearing framed by mossy, overgrown fir trees and geometric, blue mountains beyond; one of a pair in the Munich art trade in 1975 even depicts polar bears in a similar setting.1
1. See H. Jedding, Johann Heinrich Roos. Werke einer Pfälzer Tiermalerfamilie in den Galerien Europas, Mainz 1998, pp. 250-52, reproduced figs 365-67.