Willem van Nieulandt the Younger

Anonymous sale ("The Property of a Gentleman"), London, Bonhams, 4 December 1997, lot 97, for £72,000;
Private Collection, Scotland.

"The following condition report has been provided by Henry Gentle, an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. The copper panel is in good condition with no deformations. The paint surface is stable . There is some obvious paint loss to the sky . This has previously been retouched out and the restoration has discoloured. The varnish is moderately discoloured."
"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."

Born in Antwerp, Van Nieulandt left for Rome in 1601 to study under his uncle Willem van Nieulandt the Elder (1560-1626) and later in the Roman studio of Paul Bril (1553/4-1626). Although clearly indebted to Bril, Nieulandt landscapes concentrate more on the architectural elements of Rome and often include precise representations of ancient ruins. Although this view is clearly a capriccio, some of the ruins may be identifiable. It has been suggested that the ruins in the centre of the painting are identical to those of the so-called Temple of Minerva Medica; above may be the remains of the Basilica Constantiniana di Sant' Agnese. The church tower in the left background, with the portico in front, shows similarities with the church of S. Giorgio in Velabro.

Van Nieulandt often re-used motifs which were lifted from sketches made during his stay in Italy. One such sketch, now in the Vatican library, of two columns of the Forum of Nerva, may form the basis of the columns depicted in the left foreground of this work.

The copper plate can be dated between 1607 and 1609, which coincides with the date of this painting.¹

1. See similar marks by Peeter Stas in J. Wadum, 'Antwerp Copper Plates', in Copper as Canvas, exhibition catalogue, Phoenix/ Kansas/ The Hague 1998, p. 110, reproduced p. 106, fig. 5.19.