- 20
Abel Grimmer Antwerp circa 1570 - 1618/9
Description
- Abel Grimmer
- An allegory of Summer
- oil on oak panel
Provenance
With Richard Green, London, from whom acquired by the present owner.
Literature
Condition
"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."
Catalogue Note
Abel was the son of Jacob Grimmer, whom Vasari considered one of the best landscapists of his time, and of whom Van Mander made the claim that he knew of no other artist so 'outstandingly skilled in landscapes'. Abel's paintings owe a great deal to his father and also to Pieter Bruegel the Elder, whose prints he often copied. While he also painted church interiors and imaginary interiors inspired by Hans Vredeman de Vries, Grimmer is perhaps best known for his depictions of peasants at work or leisure in the outdoors, such as the present work.
This painting was almost certainly painted as one of a series of four depicting the seasons. As Reine de Bertier de Sauvigny has suggested,1 it can perhaps be linked with The Month of May formerly with Galerie R. Finck, Brussels, which is of approximately the same dimensions and stylistically very similar.2 It is also possible that this panel was painted as a single month in a series of the twelve months of the year. While the majority of these series are now incomplete, De Bertier de Sauvigny cites one complete set of twelve, last recorded in Belgium.3
1. See De Bertier de Sauvigny, under Literature.
2. De Bertier de Sauvigny, op. cit., p. 264, no. 9, reproduced fig. 136.
3. Ibid., p. 214, cat. no. XLI, most reproduced.