Old Master and British Works on Paper Including drawings from the Oppé Collection

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Lot 282
  • 282

Dutch School, 17th century

Estimate
20,000 - 30,000 GBP
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Description

  • An album of 39 watercolours of fish and other sea creatures
  • All watercolour over traces of black chalk, within black chalk framing lines;
    almost all inscribed in brown ink, verso, with identification and measurements of the fish depicted;
    the 39 drawings attached to 20 album sheets, loosely contained in an early 19th-century folder, with a label inscribed in brown ink: 41 Stuks / Visschen in Sapverwen / door / Rochus van Veen / 17e Eeuw / Uit de Collectie / van / DenwelEd Heer Ploos van Amstel

Provenance

Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (according to label on the album cover)

Condition

Most of the drawings attached at the left edge to the old album sheets. Generally in very good, fresh 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."

Catalogue Note

In 17th-century Holland, the art of natural history drawing took on a new significance.  As never before, artists produced great series of high quality watercolours such as these, which combine very scientific observation and annotation with considerable artistic and aesthetic quality.  The great majority of such watercolours, however, depict flowers or, less frequently, insects or land animals, and representations of fish from this period are actually rather rare. 

The inscription on the cover of the album attributes the watercolours to the Beverwijk artist Rochus van Veen (1630-1693), but this is not supported by comparison with that artist's signed works.  Another watercolour of a fish, very possibly by the same hand, was recently sold from the van Regteren Altena Collection1, and the sale catalogue noted that an attribution had been suggested to 'The Master of the Arundel Sketchbook.'  This alternative suggestion may, however, be something of a red herring; as Mireille Mosler has very kindly informed us, she and others believe that the drawings contained in the album, sold at Sotheby's, London, on 1 July 1975 (lot 163), which gave this so-called master his name are actually by several different hands.    

The attribution of this extremely rare and interesting group of watercolours of fish therefore still remains to be clarified. 

1.  Sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 13 May 2015, lot 193.