Abel Grimmer

Possibly Christoph Christian Sallentien (1697-1771), bailiff of the Castle of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, Blankenburg;
Possibly thence by descent to his son Ernst Sallentien (1749-1788), theologian in Braunschweig;
Possibly thence by descent to his son Karl Ludwig Ferdinand Sallentien (1780-1848), general dean of Braunschweig;
Heinrich Sallentien (1825-1897), vice president of the Braunschweig ducal consistory;
Thence by descent to his daughter, Elisabeth Sallentien (married to Dr. Wilhelm Bornhardt),
Thence by descent to their daughter, Dr. Margarete Bornhardt,
Thence by descent to the present owners.

The following condition report is provided by Rebecca Gregg who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's. A Summer Landscape, with peasants harvesting with a view of Antwerp beyond Condition The original panel is in good condition, there is an inscription and two labels on the reverse and interestingly tool marks indicative of its construction. The paint layers appear in relatively good condition, there are minor losses in the lower part of the composition, however, there are no significant damages or loss and the adhesion between the paint and the ground layers appears good. There is evidence of a previous restoration campaign with small scattered areas of over-paint throughout, the road in the foreground appears to have scattered minor abrasion however this is not significant and is only made obvious by the discoloured over-paint. Some of the small cracks in the sky have also been over-painted. There is a discoloured yellow varnish layer; there are small particles of debris trapped in this layer which fluoresces strongly in ultra violet examination, and has been patchily applied. A Winter Landscape with peasants on a path Condition The original panel is in good condition, there is an inscription and two labels on the reverse and interestingly tool marks indicative of its construction. The paint layers appear in relatively good condition, there are no recent damages and the adhesion between the paint and the ground layers appears good. There are minor losses scattered throughout, none of these are recent or of significant. There does appear to have been at least two campaigns of restoration with over-paint present in the sky below the slightly yellowed varnish layer. There are also tiny retouching’s above this layer. There is a discoloured yellow varnish layer; there are small particles of debris trapped in this layer which fluoresces strongly in ultra violet examination, and has been patchily applied. Both paintings appear to have a more recent varnish layer applied over this discoloured layer. The paintings were examined in their frames.
"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."

Abel Grimmer painted a number of sets of the Four Seasons, or Twelve Months of the Year, and it is likely this pair belong to such a set.  Here, as in the others known sets, Abel favoured a small circular format.¹

In 1592 Abel became a master of the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke and many of his landscapes were inspired by the rural scenery surrounding Antwerp.  In the present rendering of Summer the peasants gather their harvest against a backdrop of the city itself.  Whilst Abel is best known for his small country scenes and landscapes he was an interested and adept observer of architecture as attested to by two surviving architectural drawings,² a handful of church interiors,³ and the beautifully painted view of the buildings of Antwerp seen on the horizon of the present work. Another version of this composition is known in a private collection in Brussels⁴ and a version given to Jacob Grimmer was sold Amsterdam, Christie's, 29 May 1986.

The high viewpoint in both these panels, their marked foregrounds and receding landscapes, mark them out as typical works by Abel Grimmer. The view of Winter is comparable to the painting in a German private collection⁵ although the receding landscape in the present painting is superior and there are added details, such as the fox and stork depicted lower right.

1.  See, for example, the months of July and August in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Nancy (inv. nos. 133-4): R de Bertier de Sauvigny, Jacob and Abel Grimmer, Brussels 1991, pp. 100-103, cat. no. 8, reproduced figs 45 and 46.
2.  Bertier de Sauvigny, op. cit., p. 249, no. 1, one depicting the gable of Antwerp cathedral and the other a gothic church spire.
3.  See the Interior of a Gothic Chucrh sold London, Sotheby's, 9 March 1983, lot 3.
4.  Bertier de Sauvigny, op. cit., pp. 261-2, no. 11, fig. 135.
5.  Ibid.., pp. 261-2, no. 8, fig. 134.