David Vinckboons

Hermann Wedewer;
His sale, Cologne, Lempertz, 23-24 March 1926, lot 387

The panel is very flat and uncradled. The verso is protected with an old piece of corduroy with a small opening where one can view the panel beneath. Here the panel appears to have a regular wood grain and to be a healthy piece of wood. In short, a beautiful panel. There are small knocks to the upper and lower left hand corners of the panel. Thin wooden strips have been attached to all four edges, so the corners are now well- protected. On the recto there is a minor split in the wood measuring 10cm and extending horizontally from the right hand edge, half way down. It continues in a much finer form across to the left hand edge. The paint surface is covered by a very thick dirty varnish making the colours seem browner than they are meant to. A standard removal of this varnish by a restorer would not doubt reveal a fresher surface. There is wearing to the paint, particularly in the upper right where some of the wood grain can be seen beneath the thin paint layer. The facial expressions and gestures are still readable and highly entertaining. The detail of clothing (see for example the feathered hat and embellished collar of the man in the centre of the table) are in a good state of preservation. Furthermore, there are pentimenti visible in several places, for example on the shoes of the man in the background, on the excited dog running in the left foreground, on the large hunting gun propped against the entrance, and the jacket of the man on the left of the table. Inspection under UV light reveals a very thick varnish which makes it difficult to see the intricacies of restoration work. Nevertheless there are certainly small areas of retouching in the window pane upper right, in the lower part of the hunter's jacket tails, two tiny dot retouchings in the mother's face, a small dot in the face of the lady on the left of the table, repair of the upper left corner (aforementioned knock) and to the small split mentioned above, which extends from the right hand edge. The warm glow of the large fire in the central background, the various entertaining narrative scenes, the interesting arrangement of the interior view, with the curtain opening back right to the bedchamber, and openings to the outside on both right and left walls, all make this an interesting composition to explore visually. The humour and movement are supported by a balanced and thoughtful composition, well- worked out by the artist. The many pentimenti show he was applying ideas straight onto the wood with energy and creativity. This lot is offered in a wood frame painted black, with a thin inner band of gold decorative mouldings, with only very small knocks and scratches due to age.
"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."

This seems to be one of the earliest of a series of small panels of similar subjects painted by Vinckboons around 1606-10, which are generally interpreted as depicting Spanish soldiers feasting and oppressing Dutch peasants. Another such was sold in these Rooms, 14 December 2000, lot 6, and a third is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

We are grateful to Fred Meijer of the Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs.