Abraham Bloemaert

Anonymous sale, ("The Property of a French Private Collector"), London, Sotheby's, 2 November 2000, lot 17.

The actual painting is softer and less red in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The singel panel has cracked through the lower half, but has been repaired and restored and is still uncradled. The panel has a very faint convex bow. The paint layer is very slightly beginning to lift in the red drapery lower centre. The sketchy brush work is thinly applied. Some retouching can be observed along the crack, and there's some minor frame abrasion along all edges. The paint surface is under a slightly dirty varnish. Inspection under UV light reveals quite some old retouches in the sky and in the figure and ox on the left, and a few tiny ones in the Virgin and Child. Offered in a decorative gilt plaster and wood frame, with cracks in the corners.
"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."

Although several prints and drawings of this subject are known in Bloemaert's oeuvre, none seem to relate to the present work in composition. The mannerist style of this panel is entirely typical of Bloemaert's works painted during the first half of the 1590s; at a time when his style is still greatly indebted to Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem (1562-1638) and Bartholomeus Spranger (1546-1611). The painting can be dated to the first half of the 1590s by comparison with Bloemaert's small panel of the same subject in James O. Belden's collection, U.S.A.¹

When this lot was sold at Sotheby's in 2000 (see Provenance), the attribution to Bloemaert was endorsed by Prof. Marcel G. Roethlisberger on the basis of photographs.

1. See M.G. Roethlisberger, Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons, Doornspijk 1993, vol. I, pp. 85-6, cat. no. 36, reproduced vol. II, fig. 71.