Johannes Bronckhorst Leiden 1648 - 1727 Hoorn

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Description

Johannes Bronckhorst
exotic waterbirds in a landscape, from left to right: a bean goose, a scarlet ibis, an egyptian goose, an atlantic puffin, behind a pintail and wigeon and in the front an indian swamphen, a roseate spoonbill and a muscovy duck
signed with initials, lower right: J.B.fec: and inscribed, in brown ink, verso with identifications of some of the birds: Oos..y...(?) gans / Oost...(?)boshoentje / groenl. papegaay / Cap gans.
bears numbering, in brown ink, verso: N110
watercolour and gouache, within black ink framing lines and clear margins
Inv.nr. N 251

Provenance

Pieter van den Brande and/or Johan Pieter van den Brande, Middelburg;
By descent to E.C. Baron van Pallandt, his sale, Amsterdam, Mak van Waay, 26 September 1972, lot 292, reproduced

Exhibited

Amsterdam/Dordrecht 1994-5, cat. no. 27

Literature

Anne M. Zaal, 'Herman Henstenburgh 1667-1726,' Dissertation, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 1991, reproduced vol. I, fig. 22

Catalogue Note

Johannes Bronckhorst specialised in watercolours of exotic and indigenous birds, shown either individually or several to a sheet, taking the more scientifically based tradition of artists such as Pieter Holsteijn and developing it in more decorative directions - a route down which his pupil Herman Henstenburgh would go much further (see lot 199). Bronckhorst also, more rarely, depicted mammals. The four elaborate compositional drawings in the Unicorno collection (see also lots 196, 202 and 203) are all particularly fine and complete examples of the artist's work. They all also originate from the Van den Brande collection in Middelburg, and it is very possible that they were bought by that family directly from the artist. For the provenance, see lots 43 and 92, and see also the general introduction to lots 190-203, above.