Hendrik de Clerck Brussels before 1570 - 1630, and Denijs van Alsloot Brussels before 1573 - 1625/1626

Acquired by the father of the present owner;
Thence by descent.

"The following condition report has been provided by Sarah Walden, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting is on a large copper panel that is strong, completely undented and flat. Although the surface is rather messy with patchy old varnishes, uneven past cleaning, and fly spots, the underlying condition is exceptionally good. The only thinner area is at upper left where the sky, water and blue distant landscape around "Air" has typically been further cleaned than elsewhere, leaving the foliage against the sky and some of the birds, including a heron or stork flying over the lake, quite faint. Elsewhere throughout the detailed brushwork is miraculously intact, even in the depths of the wooded landscape and minutiae of the fruit and fauna, as well as the figures of the elements themselves. There are a few minute lost flakes or chips, but no raised brittle craquelure, frequently found on copper. A few of the little lost flakes have been touched in: by the waist of "Air", on the elbow of "Water", and occasional tiny touches on "Fire" with other minor little touches in the distant water and surrounding landscape, on Adam and Eve and the lower drapery of God walking in the garden and in the clouds around God the Father. There are two tiny chips by the base edge; to the left of centre and in the right base corner, but otherwise the edges appear perfect throughout. Patches of older varnish can be seen under UV over the head of the lioness and over the cat in the right foreground. The extraordinary preservation of this painting, with many in this collection, stems in part from the lack of intrusive intervention over the last century, as well as from an evident long term stability. This report was not done under laboratory conditions."
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Hitherto unknown to scholars and unpublished, this exquisite copper is the largest and only dated version of one of Hendrick de Clerck's most popular compositions, of which the best known until now was in the collection of the Electors of Palatine and is now in Munich, Alte Pinakothek¹. Another version is in the Museo del Prado, Madrid². Both these versions have been variously dated between 1606-9, and the Munich picture specifically to 1608. The discovery of the present work however, dated 1613, would argue for a later dating than previously thought for both the Munich and Prado versions.

There is a painting of Abundance and the Four Elements in the Prado by De Clerck³, the landscape by Jan Brueghel the Elder, which Ertz also dates to 1606-09, based on a comparison with Brueghel's Allegory of the Four Elements in Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, dated 1604⁴. The present work, as well as those in Munich and the Prado, draws on this painting and employs the same general arrangement in the foreground, the figures of Water and Earth following a broadly similar design; with the remainder of the work, however, De Clerck adopts a more monumental approach, and a more schematic design. That he repeated this design on at least these three occasions seems to point to De Clerck having finally found a perfect equilibrium for the subject.

De Clerck and Alsloot were both court painters in Brussels, the former beginning his employment in 1594 under Archduke Ernest and continuing through his death in 1596 into the reign of Archdukes Albert and Isabella. Alsloot joined the court in 1599-1600. There are eight dated collaborative works between the two artists, to which a ninth can now be added. This work also provides evidence of their continued relationship into 1613 where previously they were thought to have ceased working together in 1612.

The Peeter Stas copper mark on the reverse can be dated circa 1610.⁵

A note on the provenance: although it has not been possible to trace the origin of the inventory number 1148 it is highly probable that the painting once belonged to an important Spanish collection, and one of significant size given that this picture featured as number 1148. The works of, in particular, Denijs van Alsloot, found great favour amongst Spanish collectors, probably as a result of his having worked for the Regents of the Spanish Netherlands, the Archdukes Albert (1559-1621) and Isabella Clara Eugenia (1566-1633). Unfortunately no inventory of their collection exists so most of the paintings executed for them by Alsloot and de Clerck remain unidentified.

1. Inv. no. 4534; another variant of the composition sold London, Sotheby's, 27 March 1974, lot 39 (as 'Hendrick de Clerck), although this was on panel and unsigned.
2. See A. Balis, M. Diáz Padrón et al., La Peinture Flamande au Prado, Antwerp 1989, p. 270, no. 73, reproduced.
3. Idem, pp. 134-5, no. 40, reproduced.
4. See K. Ertz, Jan Brueghel der Ältere, Cologne 1979, pp. 581-2, no. 145, reproduced fog. 438.
5. See M. K. Komanecky, Copper as canvas, exhibition catalogue, New York/ Osford 1999, p. 110, and p. 106, fig. 5.18.