Claes Dircksz. van der Heck

With Brütscher, Munich (according to a note at the R.K.D., The Hague).

The actual painting is warmer in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel consists of 3 planks joined horizontally and is bevelled on all but the lower sides. The panel is reinforced with small batons and wooden strips to the reverse, and has a faint convex bow. The panel has a repaired horizontal split of approx. 20 cm. in the upper right corner, and two smaller retouched thin splits in the lower right and lower left corners. There's minor flaking along the upper crack and lower join. Otherwise, the paint surface appears nicely preserved. The paint surface is under a yellowed varnish. A few old scattered discoloured retouchings are visible to the naked eye., e.g. along the joins and in the lower foreground. Inspection under UV light remains inconclusive due to the dirty varnish. Offered in a plain wood frame in good condition.
"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."

We are grateful to Marijke de Kinkelder of the R.K.D., The Hague, for confirming the attribution on the basis of photographs.

Claes Dircksz. van der Heck was born in Alkmaar, where he seems to have been active his entire life. Thieme/Becker record that he was both a landscape and portrait painter, but no portraits seem to have survived thus far.¹ Besides landscapes with biblical scenes, such as this lot, Van der Heck painted numerous views of the Abbey of Egmond, of which one example is in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. no. A 991).²

A painting with an identical landscape in the background, but of different subject matter, was in a sale in Brussels in 1900, as by Abel Grimmer.³

1. See U. Thieme and F. Becker, Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler..., vol. XVI, Leipzig, 1923, pp. 201-2.
2. See P.J.J. van Thiel et. al., Alle schilderijen van het Rijksmuseum te Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1976, p. 262.
3. Sale, Vicomte de Ruffo de Bonneval de la Fare a.o., Brussels, J. Fiévez, 23 May 1900, lot 33, reproduced.