- 208
Attributed to Matthijs Bril
Estimate
4,000 - 6,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed
Description
- Matthijs Bril
- A View of Rome from the Tiber
- Pen and brown ink and wash, possibly drawn across two sheets of a sketchbook
Provenance
Hubert de Marignane (bears his mark, not in Lugt);
with Jean-Paul Meulemeester, Brussels
with Jean-Paul Meulemeester, Brussels
Condition
Laid down on Japan paper. Heavy vertical crease in the centre of the sheet. Vertical tear at top, near this crease, and other small tears at edges of the sheet. The sheet generally somewhat abraded, especially towards edges, with various minor losses and a larger repaired loss at the centre right edge. Surface also somewhat stained and foxed throughout, but composition remains clear and readable. Sold in a modern, giltwood 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
Matthijs Bril was a crucial pioneering figure within the tidal wave of artists from the Netherlands who travelled to Rome in the later 16th and early 17th centuries. Between his arrival in Rome around 1574 and his premature death in 1583, Bril executed a series of ground-breaking drawings of Roman views and antiquities that were extremely influential in the development of landscape in Rome at this time, a story in which Bril's younger brother Paul subsequently played a vital role. Nine drawings from this series survive, eight of them in the Louvre, the other in a private collection.1 In comparison with those drawings, this panoramic view, which may once have constituted a double-page spread in a sketchbook, is strikingly spontaneous, but the details of the handling and the approach to perspective all argue strongly for the attribution to Matthijs Bril.
1. F. Lugt, Inventaire général des dessins des écoles du nord, Ecole Flamande, Paris, 1949, I, nos. 356-363