Maerten Ryckaert

Anonymous sale, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, December 8, 1978, lot 52 (as attributed to Joos de Momper the Younger);
With Galerie Heinemann, Wiesbaden;
From whom acquired by the present collector in the 1970s. 

K. Ertz, Josse de Momper der Jüngere (1564-1635), Luca Freren Verlag 1986, p. 463, cat. no. 23, reproduced (unseen / incorrectly as on canvas / not entirely secure of attribution to de Momper).

Panel is cradled. there are two horizontal panel joins visible to naked eye, but not too distracting: one runs through sky at right and into foliage at left; the other runs through rocks at right through landscape and village at center and through figures and rocks at left. the paint surface is very well preserved with lovely retention of detail and impasto, and strong coloration. there is some craquelure in center of sky, above distant mountains, that appears to be due to some irregularity in the wood panel. this area appears to be stable. some scuffing along extreme right side due to rubbing of the frame. under UV: retouching along most of the two aforementioned joins; a few very small, scattered retouches in sky; a few retouches along right edge and a few in foreground areas. most of the landscape areas, however, look very good. In a brown wood frame with a few nicks.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present landscape bears all of the characteristics typical of the paintings of Maerten Ryckaert.  These characteristics include the rendering of the foliage, which is executed in rhythmic patterns of green-yellowish paint, and the application of dot-like highlights, which are here evident in both of the castles.

The subject that Ryckaert chose for this panel, Christ on the Road to Emmaus, demonstrates the artist's firm roots in the tradition of the Antwerp school of landscape painting.  The subject became very popular in the late 16^th century through the dissemination of the print of Lucas and Joannes van Doetecum made after the design of Pieter Brueghel the Elder of circa 1554-55.¹  The present composition also reveals Ryackaert's debt to the work of Joos de Momper, to whom this work had previously been ascribed (see Provenance and Literature).

We are grateful to Dr. Luuk Pijl for endorsing the attribution to Maerten on the basis of photographs, and for his help in cataloguing this work.  The present lot will be sold with a certificate from Dr. Pijl.

1.  See, N.M. Orenstein, Pieter Brueghel Drawings and Prints, exhibition catalogue, New York 2001, p. 122, cat. no. 23, reproduced.