Pieter Neefs the Elder

Private collection, London, until acquired by the father of the present owner in 1956.

Tel Aviv, Sam & Ayala Zacks Pavilion, Tel Aviv Museum of Art, Van Dyck and His Age, 29 October - 28 January 1996, no. 65.

D. J. Lurie (ed.), Van Dyck and His Age, exhibition catalogue, Tel Aviv 1995, no. 65, p. 104-5, reproduced p. 104 & p. 224-226, reproduced in colour p. 225 (as Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger);

J. Howarth, The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective, Turnhout 2009, cat. no. II. B 82. p. 172, reproduced p. 461 (as Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger);

T. Fusenig, 'Book review of: Jeremy Howarth: The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective', in Oud Holland, vol. 125, The Hague 2012, p. 146, footnote 68 (as "strongly related to works by Wolfgang Avemann").

This copperplate is flat and in good condition, with a protective varnish painted onto the back. The paint is in very good condition, with no major losses. The minute details throughout are beautifully preserved and are a delight to explore visually. There a two pinprick chips in the paint in the right half of the composition. There is a slightly larger chip in the left half of the lower edge. The left and upper edges have a few knocks that have been well-repaired. The work would benefit from a light surface clean, but otherwise it is in excellent condition. Inspection under UV light reveals a patch of retouching at the base of the second pillar from the right and upper part of the farthest right pillar. There are spot retouchings across the floor on the left hand side, and to the receding ceiling on the left. Also a larger area of repainting in the lower right corner. This lot is sold in a wooden frame, painted black with a thinner golden inner edge. There is a thin wooden backing placed behind the copperplate.
"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.
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This jewel-like painting is a comparatively early work by Pieter Neefs the Elder, painted before 1610 at a time when the artist seems to have been working in Antwerp alongside Hendrick van Steenwyck the Younger under the tutelage of Hendrick van Steenwyck the Elder. Indeed, the close stylistic similarities with Steenwyck had led Dr Jeremy Howarth to include the work, on the basis  of a photograph, in his 2009 catalogue raisonné as a work of the Younger Steenwyck; a view that he has since changed, now favouring an attribution to Pieter Neefs the Elder, following first-hand inspection¹.  A variant of the composition of almost identical dimensions, signed by Neefs and on panel, showing the same architectural configuration but with different staffage is in the Liechtenstein collection.²  The animated figures in the present picture, which are of unusually high quality, appear to be the work of another hand.

Born in Antwerp, Pieter Neefs the Elder became a member of the city’s Guild of Saint Luke in 1609, where he remained active until his death. Specialising in small-scale interiors such as this, he established a successful practise becoming one of the chief proponents of the genre of the architectural interior. Although seemingly minutely observed in the careful delineation of detail, this specific gothic interior is likely to be an architectural capriccio based loosely on Antwerp Cathedral. Architecturally exceptional for having five aisles, Neefs used the cathedral as a model in a number of his works, showing characteristic mastery over the perspectival problems posed.

The viewpoint in this picture is taken from the central nave of the church, looking towards the choir which is in the eastern wing.  On the gallery level there is (as far as we can deduce from the statue) the tomb of a military commander in a later renaissance style, which is flanked by an ornate organ. Enlivening the scene with anecdotal incident, the three well-dressed men on the right barely turn to acknowledge a beggar asking for alms, whilst a priest kneels in prayer beyond. The female figures on the left and right in the foreground can be identified by their bobbled hats as belonging to a lay sect called the Beguines, established for widows devoted to charitable work. Diminutive in stature, the figures serve to make the ecclesiastical space all the more impressive in scale, whilst simultaneously stressing the function of a church in society as a meeting place.

We are grateful to Dr. Jeremy Howarth for his assistance in cataloguing this lot.

1. See J. Howarth, The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective, Turnhout 2009, cat. no. II. B 82. p. 172, reproduced p. 461;
2. See T. Fusenig, "Book review of: Jeremy Howarth: The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective", Oud Holland, vol. 125, The Hague 2012, p. 146, footnote 68.