Gillis Mostaert

The panel is cradled and flat, the paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish is slightly discoloured. There is a very small loss lower centre at the top of the empty boat. The varnish fluoresces opaquely under ultraviolet light making it very difficult to discern any previous restoration, although there appear to be thin lines of restoration to two small surface cracks, running horizontally for approx. 6 cm., in the upper left corner. In overall very 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."

Mostaert, under the tutelage and influence of Antwerp's leading artists of the mid sixteenth century such as Frans Floris, Jan Mandyn and Herri met de Bles, developed a love for the rendering of 'special effects' through the depiction of snow, light and fire. Subjects such as this Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah lent themselves particularly well to this interest, and the inclusion of a biblical scene, in this case that of Lot and his daughters, lent the painting a higher academic status than it would otherwise have had.
Mostaert's dramatic scenes were enormously popular among Flemish collectors, and he painted many versions: a particularly fine example of a painting with the same subject, but this time without the craggy, rocky landscape, is in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium in Brussels.¹ Mostaert's 'fire paintings' are listed in the inventories of some of the most important collectors of the late 16th and early seventeenth centuries, including those of Filips van Valckenisse I (1554-1614), Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553-1595) and the Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (1614-1662).

1. E. Mai, Gillis Mostaert, een Tijdgenoot van Brueghel, Munich 2005, p. 60, fig. 11.