CORNELIS BOS | Design for a frieze with sea monsters

With Alfred Brod, London, Old Master Drawings, 4-27 July 1963, no. 73 (as Arent van Bolten);
C.R. Rudolf, London; 
Einar Perman, Stockholm;
sale, London, Sotheby's, 27 June 1974, lot 160 (as Arent van Bolten),
puchased at the sale by Lodewijk Houthakker, Amsterdam (L.3893)

P. Fuhring, Design into Art. Drawings for Architecture and Ornament, the Lodewijk Houthakker Collection, 2 vols., London 1989, vol. I, p. 135, no. 92

Hinged to mount at top. Remains of former hinges and mounting tabs in lower corners, verso. Sheet has at some point been folded vertically, towards centre and again towards right. Some minor abrasions on ridges from these folds. Very minor repaired tear, top left corner, and pinhole towards lower left. Some very light foxing and surface dirt, but overall condition very good and fresh.
"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."

As Peter Fuhring noted in his entry for this drawing in the Houthakker Collection catalogue (see Literature), having worked for a number of years in Antwerp, the engraver and designer Cornelis Bos travelled to Italy, remaining in Rome from 1548 until 1550.  Early in his stay, he seems to have designed an elaborate frieze depicting The Triumph of Neptune, which incorporated motifs taken from Andrea Mantegna and Giulio Romano.¹  Still in 1548, he engraved the design, in the same direction, on three copperplates, and the present drawing corresponds to the central section of the composition.  Bos's various ornament prints, which combine Italian grotesque motifs with typically northern strapwork, were very influential in the development of grotesque decoration in the Netherlands. ^1. S. Schéle, Cornelis Bos. A Study of the Origins of the Netherland Grotesque, Stockholm 1965, no. 55, pl. 20