Roelandt Savery

Sale, Berlin, Lepke, 18 May 1897 (Witt Library mount);
Hermann Sudermann (1857-1928), Berlin.

Bremen, Galerie Neuse, Masterpieces of painting from 16. to 18. Century, 2007.

Masterpieces of the painting from 16. to 18. Century, exhibition catalogue, Bremen 2007, pp. 62-63, reproduced in colour pp. 60-62.

The canvas has recently been cleaned, relined and restored. The painting appears generally to be in good order with no major damages or repairs or significant signs of wear. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals substantial strengthenings in the darks, especially in the foliage behind the animals, and extensive but careful retouching in the sky. The outlines of the two bay deer centre right have been strengthened as have the five birds flying above them. There are numerous repairs to old damages along the bottom margin, especially around and below the head of the white deer. The restoration has been well carried out and is not obtrusive to the naked eye and the painting will require no further attention. The varnish layer is clear and even. This lot is sold with a later parcel gilt and stained wood frame in good order.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present painting, unpublished in Müllenmeister's monograph on the artist, can be assumed to date from the 1620s when Savery painted a number of large-scale landscape scenes of stags chased by huntsmen and their ferocious dogs. From about 1610 onwards, hunting scenes and fighting animals increasingly penetrate the peaceful and idyllic landscapes painted by the artist. The composition and strong sense of movement in this work are similar to his large Stag Hunt dated by Müllenmeister to 1620 and listed by him as in an unknown location.¹ The latter picture, like the present painting, packs the foreground with action and draws us towards the horizon with its gentle diagonal.

The stag rearing up on the left side of the composition relates closely to that in another signed stag hunt by the artist now in Georgetown University, Washington.² The striking red macaw in the upper left corner is also a recurrent element in the artist's oeuvre. The same model for the macaw is painted in reverse in the Georgetown picture and the conspicuous bird can be found again in Savery's Paradise Landscape with a skewbald, heifers, stags, a lion, a dog, goats, parrots and other animals, the conversion of St. Hubert beyond, signed and dated 1627, which was offered London, Sotheby's, 5 July 2007, lot 106. It appears that in these landscapes Savery is drawing upon the detailed studies he made of birds and animals in the menageries and hunting fields of Emperor Rudolph II in Prague, in whose service he worked from c.1603-1613. Savery's fascination with nature, and the meticulously detailed manner in which he painted flora and fauna, as in the present painting, seem to stem from his long stay at Rudolph II's court. 

In the 1620s, Savery was one of the most sought-after and highly-paid artists in Utrecht. Some of his pieces fetched prices that were more typically reserved for large historical paintings. Alongside the realistic landscapes of his Dutch contemporaries, his romanticising, fantastical scenes almost appear to belong to a bygone age. They were, however, well received by a large and prosperous class of buyers in the Netherlands who were clearly fascinated by his exotic, highly detailed landscapes.

1. See K.J. Müllenmeister, Roelant Savery, Freren 1988, p. 236, cat. no. 88, reproduced.
2. See Müllenmeister, op. cit., p. 229, cat. 75A, reproduced.