Lot 273
  • 273

Abraham Bloemaert

Estimate
15,000 - 20,000 USD
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Description

  • Abraham Bloemaert
  • Recto: Seated woman, head in profileVerso: Drapery study of standing woman
  • Black chalk and brown wash, heightened with white (recto); black chalk and gray wash (verso)
  • 303 by 184 mm; 11 7/8  by 7¼ in

Provenance

The Marquesses de Bailleul,
sale, Paris, Hotel Drouot, 17 April 1985, lot 8;
sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 15 November 1993, lot 17

Literature

J. Bolten, Abraham Bloemaert, The Drawings, 2 vols., Leiden 2007, vol. I, pp. 306, no. 926 (recto), p. 346, no. 1074 (verso), reproduced vol. II, p. 355, fig. 926 (recto), p. 377, fig. 1074 (verso)

Condition

Hinge mounted along the upper edge to a window mount. There is evidence of some slight surface dirt to the recto and three small light brown stains to the lower right corner showing through from the verso. There is an old crease to the upper right corner which may well have been created during the manufacturing of the paper. The left edge of the verso has a narrow tab of modern adhesive tape attached to it. The media, both recto and verso, remains in excellent condition throughout. Sold in a modern wooden frame.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Catalogue Note

The recto of the present drawing, depicting a seated woman, seen three quarters from the back, corresponds very closely to a similar figure portrayed in Bloemaert's so-called "Cambridge Album",1 representing A sitting woman with a child.  Bolten has suggested that the Haverkamp-Begemann drawing "would have been the first incentive"2 for the Cambridge Album drawing, which was subsequently engraved by Frederik Bloemaert as plate 95  of the Tekenboek (Fig.1). Bolten goes on to compare the handling of the present sheet, both in its style and execution, to two further drawings by Bloemaert, the first a study of The Madonna seated, the Christ child in her lap3 and the second A kneeling woman,4 previously in the Normand Collection. 1. For a more detailed discussion of the Cambridge Album see Bolten, op.cit., vol. I, pp. 362-397
2. Ibid., p. 306, no. 926
3. Ibid., no. 924
4. Ibid., no. 923