Hendrik Gerrit Ten Cate

This drawing and lot 136 below both depict the famous ruins of the Dutch castle of Brederode. From the early 17th century on, Dutch artists frequently drew, painted and engraved the various castles and abbeys that had been destroyed by the Spanish armies during the northern Netherlands' long struggle for independence. The artists who portrayed such ruins were motivated not only by an appreciation of their picturesque qualities but also by a desire to pay homage to the terrible losses their homeland had suffered, and to document for posterity what remained of the country's historic buildings before they deteriorated further.  

The castle of Brederode, north of Haarlem, had been a grand medieval structure, but was damaged in 1351, 1426 and 1491, before being more or less totally destroyed by the Spanish in 1573. The noble ruins were depicted by Hendrick Goltzius as early as 1600, and by other notable 17th-century artists including Jacob Matham, Jan van de Velde, Willem Buytewech, Hercules Seghers, Jan Lievens, Simon de Vlieger, Nicolaes Berchem, Jacob van Ruisdael, and many more. A drawing of Brederode recently attributed to Hendrick Cornelisz. Vroom was sold in New York early this year.¹

By the time that Ten Cate and his contemporaries made drawings such as this one, the historical significance of the ruins was perhaps rather less the artist's focus than their romantic and atmospheric qualities.

See also lot 139.

1. Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 25 January 2023, lot 74