JACOB SAVERY THE ELDER | An extensive landscape with a bull hunt

Private collection, Belgium;
With Galerie de Jonckheere, Paris, by 1986;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Lady and a Gentleman'), London, Christie's, 8 December 1995, lot 4;
Where acquired by the aunt of the present owner.

J. Briels, Peintres Flamands en Hollande au début du Siècle d'Or, Antwerp 1987, pp. 307–10, cat. no. 385, reproduced in colour.

The panel is cradled, flat and stable, the paint surface is relatively clean, and the varnish is discoloured. There appear to be two old, repaired horizontal splits which run the width of the panel - the first approx. 3 inches from the upper margin, and the second a third of the way from the lower margin. Some discoloured retouching is visible along both of these. There is a small, partially retouched loss in the body of the horseman with a raised sword in the foreground. Inspection under ultraviolet light is impeded by the thick varnish which fluoresces opaquely, but it is just possible to discern some small retouchings scattered in the roofs of the village centre left, and some small strengthenings in some of the dogs and legs of the figures in the foreground, as well as some of the foliage on the far riverbank, but the painting appears largely untouched. The panel will respond well to 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."

Jacob Savery was the elder brother of Roelandt Savery, from whom he probably received his early training. He may have been a pupil of Hans Bol, whose influence is particularly evident in Jacob's earliest known works of 1584–86. Between 1580–85 religious persecutions led him to seek sanctuary in the northern Netherlands – in 1587 he was registered as a member of the Haarlem Guild of Painters, and he became a citizen of Amsterdam in 1591, the same year as his supposed master. He was also largely inspired by Gillis van Coninxloo, who was active in Amsterdam in 1595, as well as Pieter Brueghel the Younger, of whose works he is now thought to have made deliberate forgeries.