Roelandt Savery

With Vitale Bloch, Paris, 1952;

Private Collection, Milan.

The support consists of a single plank of oak, uncradled and bevelled along all four edges. The panel has a very slight horizontal convex bow. The landscape and animals are beautifully preserved with much of the original tiny detailing surviving. In the central portion of the sky there have been some small losses along the wood grain and the subsequent retouchings have now discoloured. There is a small area of concentrated retouchings at the extreme left margin above the stag's antlers. The painting is in general in excellent condition and will benefit from a fresh cleaning.
"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."

Another very closely related version of this composition, of similar dimensions and also on panel, is in the collection of the Gemäldegalerie der Akademie der Bildenden Kuenste, Vienna.¹ The Vienna picture is not signed, but is dated by Kurt Müllenmeister to around 1628, a decade later than the present version, although previously it had been dated by Kurt Erasmus to 1618.²

Savery was attracted to this subject: he painted no less than 25 treatments of it between 1617 and 1628. By 1616 Savery was in Amsterdam, following some peripatetic years after his employment in Rudolfine Prague came to an end. He finally settled in Utrecht in 1619, the year after he painted this work.

1. S. Ferino-Pagden, et al., Die Gemäldegalerie des Kunsthistorischen Museums in Wien, Verzeichnis der Gemälde, Vienna 1991, p. 109, reproduced pl. 384.

2. K.J. Müllenmeister, Roelant Savery, Freren 1988, p. 296, cat. no. 210.