Jan Abrahamsz. Beerstraten

Heinrich Viewig (1826–1890), Schloß Windhausen, near Brunswick;
By descent to Helen Tepelman (née Viewag);
Her sale, Cologne, Lempertz, 1 February 1940, lot 1;
Anonymous sale, Frankfurt, Heinrich Hahn, 6 March 1941, lot 22;
Where acquired by Professor Hermann Giesler (1898–1987) for RM 8,500;
Found with the inventory of the Generalbaurat, Munich (Toeplenliste no. 123) by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section and transferred to the Munich Central Collecting Point, 28 August 1945 (inv. no. 7836);
Transferred to the office of the Ministerpresident by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section, 10 June 1949;
Anonymous sale, Cologne, Lempertz, 5 June 1975, lot 14;
Anonymous sale, Cologne, Lempertz, 20 November 1975, lot 17;
With John Hoogsteder, The Hague, 1977;
The Collection of Mahmoud S. Rabbani, Netherlands;
His sale, London, Sotheby's, 11 April 1990, lot 102;
A prominent American collection, North Carolina;
Anonymous sale, North Carolina, Brunk, 17 November 2013, lot 1194.

T. James-Kester, Old Masters from the Collection of M.S. Rabbani, Wassenaar 1983, pp. 18–19, reproduced cat. no. 1.

The panel consists of three horizontal planks which are flat and stable, the joins reinforced by inset horizontal battens. The painting is now dirty and its varnish yellowed, but is in good overall condition. The paint surface is well preserved, with much original impasto in evidence. The original joins are visible to the naked eye but have not opened. There has been old restoration to some areas, most notably the sky, and the upper part of this in particular, and to the shadows in the sea in the foreground, but the waves, ships, buildings and figures are all very well preserved, with all original detail intact. The repairs have now discoloured and are visible to the naked eye. This lot is offered in a modern reproduction gilt 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."

There is no evidence that Beerstraten ever visited Italy and so the classical and medieval buildings in this composition are probably imaginary, inspired by the work of earlier seventeenth-century Dutch artists such as Bartholomaus Breenburgh and Thomas Wyck.

As indicated by the painting depicting Elijah being fed by a raven on the ornate transom of the ship at anchor in the harbour, and the coat of arms with the lion of Holland on the sternrail above, this vessel can be identified as the the Dutch merchantman the Profeet Elias, or Prophet Elijah. In 1650, the date of the present work, the vessel sailed from Smyrna, then part of the Ottoman Empire, on the Anatolian coast, to Venice, arriving in the latter on 2 July. We are grateful to Dr. Remmelt Daalder and Dr. Cecile Bosman of the Het Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam, for their help in identifying the vessel.