Adam Pynacker

Probably Johan van der Marck Aegidiusz. (1707-1772), Amsterdam, until 1773;
His deceased sale, Amsterdam, Hendrik de Winter and Jan Yver, 25 August 1773, lot 252, for 62 florins to Hellein;
R. Geeland, Antwerp, until 1888;
Edmond Huybrechts, Antwerp;
His deceased sale, Antwerp, M.E. Le Roy, 12-15 May 1902, lot 119, for 90 francs to Maes;
Maes collection, Lucerne;
Speyr-Iselin collection, Basel, inv. no. 227;
Anonymous sale, London, Phillips, 6 April 1995, lot 63;
David Koetser, 1995.

Washington, National Gallery of Art, Dutch Cabinet Galleries, 1 April – 15 September 1996;
New Orleans, 1997, no. 42;
Baltimore, 1999, no. 41.

C. Hofstede de Groot, Beschreibendes und kritisches Verzeichnis der Werke der hervorragendsten holländischen Maler des XVII. Jahrhunderts, London 1926, vol. 9, cat. no. 3;
L.B. Harwood, Adam Pynacker (c. 1620-1673), Doornspijk 1988, p. 154, cat. no. D2 (under "Lost Paintings", also possibly identifiable as cat. nos D3 or D4, cited p. 188-189, document no. 26);
New Orleans 1997, p. 104-107, cat. no. 42, reproduced p. 105;
Baltimore 1999, p. 93-95, cat. no. 41, reproduced p. 93.

The following condition report has been provided by Kirsten Younger (212-288-4370, kyounger@nyc.rr.com), an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The painting is in good condition overall. The thick panel has a vertical wood grain and is stable. It is beveled on the right and bottom edges and is coated with brown paint on the back. There is some old insect damage along the right edge toward the top and the corner has been repaired with a ¼ inch wood insert. There are some small fills on the front of the panel in this area. The animals and figures are in good condition. There are some drying cracks in the foreground on the right side where the paint is thickly applied. The sky on the left and the figures are thinly painted making deliberate use of the warm paint layer that shows through from below. There are a few areas of slight thinness in the sky in the upper left corner, in the mountain around the head of the standing shepherd, near the tail of the goat, in the roof and in the foliage at the lower right. The signature on the lower beam of the structure is in good condition. There is also an inscription in the lower right corner that has been added by another hand. The varnish is clear and the surface gloss is even.
"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."

Narrative depictions such as this Annunciation to the Shepherds are rare in Adam Pynacker’s oeuvre, though the artist appears to relish the possibilities offered by the subject here.  The painter exploits the nocturnal setting as a means to display his skills in the manipulation of light, using the celestial glow from the annunciating angel, out of view upper right, to create a dramatic chiaroscuro effect.  Having examined the painting from photographs, Laurie Harwood confirms this painting is indeed likely identifiable as that in the collection of Johan van der Marck Aegidiusz. until 1773 which she had previously published as lost (see Provenance and Literature).   

Another Annunciation to the Shepherds, now in the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco (inv. no. 52.14, fig. 1) has also been given to Pynacker though Harwood has questioned the attribution on stylistic grounds.¹  While elements of the San Francisco picture such as the long, white-haired goat and coarse fencing, are largely characteristic of the artist’s works from the mid-1660s, the loose application of paint is not consistent with his paintings of that date.²  This broader manner of painting is notable in the artist’s work from around the 1670s.   The San Francisco panel is larger, measuring 15 1/8  19 in.; 38.5 by 48.2 cm., and includes an angel delivering the news, upper left.  It is possible that the present painting may also have at one time included that celestial figure.  According to Minty, Arthur Wheelock was the first to observe the absence of beveling on the reverse of the upper and left edges, suggesting that the format of the panel had been modified.³  The alteration must have been  made early on in the painting’s history.  As early as 1773, when the painting was offered in Johan van der Marck’s sale (see Provenance), the measurements listed are comparable with its dimensions today.⁴

We are grateful to Laurie Harwood for endorsing the attribution on the basis of photographs.

 

1.  L. Harwood, under Literature, p. 113, cat. no. B6, under “Unresolved Works”, reproduced plate 104.
2.  Ibid.; New Orleans 1997 under Literature, p. 107, note 5.
3.  New Orleans 1997, op. cit., p. 107, note 7 cites a letter from Arthur Wheelock dated 31 July 1996.
4.  Ibid., note 6;  The 1773 sale lists the painting as, “Paneel, h. 7 ½ b. 9 duim.”