Jacob Marrel

Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 3 May 1976, lot 118 (as on vellum)

Window mounted. Overall in good condition. The colours remain vibrant. Some light scattered foxing and brown staining around the outer margin. Some tiny nicks in the paper around the edges. Sold in a gilded frame.
"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."

Though born in Germany, Jacob Marrel spent most of his career in Holland, arriving in Utrecht in 1632, just before the tulipomania.  He is best known for his fine watercolours of tulips, on vellum and paper, most of which must originally have been included in tulpenboeken, tulip books, a concept that the Dutch formulated in the 17th century due to the tulip craze spreading through Holland.¹  Of all the flower watercolours produced at the time of the tulipomania, Marrel's are among the very finest, and large sheets such as this have hardly ever appeared on the market in recent times.  Typically, the artist has inscribed the sheet with the names of the strains of tulip depicted.  One of these, Wit van Poelenburg, may well have been named by the famous doctor Nicolaes Tulp, or his son-in-law, Jan Six, both keen tulip lovers, after Tulp's mother, Cornelia van Poelenburg.

1.  For another example, and further information, see: S. Alsteens and F. Spira, Dürer and Beyond, Central European Drawings in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1400-1700, exhib. cat., New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2012, pp.198-200, no. 90