Denijs van Alsloot

Purchased by the father of the present owner in 1969 from Frost and Reed Gallery, New Bond Street, London (as Paul Bril).

The canvas has an old relining, which is a little uneven but still sound. The paint surface is slightly dirty and the varnish layer dulled, but the picture is in very good overall condition. There is a small 2 cm. surface scratch and a pinprick loss of paint in the upper foliage of the tree. Inspection under ultraviolet light is impeded by uneven varnish, but the paint surface appears to be in very good state throughout. The only repair of any significance is an area of 2 by 5 cm. in the sky between the trees, upper right. The area next to the date has been over-painted but it is not possible to determine whether the signature originally lay beneath this. Offered with a carved and swept English gilt wood frame in good condition.
"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This unpublished work is dated (next to a now lost signature) 1607, thus making it one of the earliest works by Denijs van Alsloot, and certainly the earliest dated work of those recorded today. This painting demonstrates an early perfection of the dual view motif, with the composition split into two by a central clump of trees, a forest path to the left and a river meandering through a distant panoramic view to the right, that is typical of Alsloot's work. Alsloot used this compositional device repeatedly throughout his career; see in particular the Temptation of Christ executed in 1611, and the 1613 Forest landscape with Abraham and Isaac in the Musées des Beaux-Arts de Belgique.¹ The figures in the present work (as in the majority of Alsloot's paintings) are by a different hand, perhaps that of Sebastian Vrancx with whom it is known Alsloot collaborated during the early years before continuing to work primarily with Hendrik de Clerck.  The figures here bear comparison to those in Alsloot's Forest path with a view of the Châtau de Tervuren in the Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht, dated 1608.²

1. See S. van Sprang, Denijs van Alsloot, Turnhout 2014, p. 118, cat. no. 26, reproduced p. 211, fig. 37, and p. 129, cat. no. 36, reproduced p. 225, fig. 47.
2. Ibid., p. 91, cat. no. 3, reproduced p. 184, fig. 14.