Jan Wierix

Johann Willem Nahl (L. 1954) ;
Vente Paris Hôtel Drouot, 27 novembre 1950, n°24

Z. van Ruyven-Zeman, "'Stuckxken met de penne': Drawings by the Engraver Johannes Wierix", Master Drawings, vol. XLII, n^o 3, 2004, p. 255, n^o 41

Fine bande de papier rajouté au bord supérieur. Attaché par le bord supérieur au montage. Le coin supérieur gauche est un peu abrasé. Le vélin a été renforcé au verso. Le médium a un peu perdu de sa couleur dans cette zone et a un peu viré. Légère pliure de quelques centimètres dans cette zone.Gondolement normal pour le médium. Quelques salissures de surface. Le médium reste assez puissant, vibrant et riche de détails dans l'ensemble. Thin stripe of paper added and hinged to the upper margin. The left upper corner is a bit abrased. Vellum reinforced in the area on the verso. The medium faded a bit in this area. Small crease in this area. Normal buckling of this medium. Light overall dirt. The medium stays vibrant and powerfull overall, drawing rich and detailed.
"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."

Though Johannes Wierix came from an illustrious Antwerp printmaking family, and was himself active in that medium, it is as a draughtsman rather than an engraver that his artistic achievements are the most notable.¹  Wierix has left a corpus of some 250 fine drawings, in a number of cases repeating the same subjects, all executed in a very minute, engraving-like style, in the rather fugitive technique of brown ink on vellum.  The great majority of these drawings are, however, on a much smaller scale than this imposing and remarkably well preserved sheet.  All the artist’s other known works on this grandiose scale – such as the Diana and Actaeon, in the British Museum, the Fall of Man in the Hermitage, the St. Mary Magdalene, in Rotterdam², or the other large interpretation of the subject seen here, in Antwerp³ – are by now in museum collections, and no drawing by Wierix of comparable size, quality or importance has appeared on the market in modern times.  

 

¹ For an overview of the artist’s drawn work, see Van Ruyven-Zeman, op. cit., pp. 237-257

² Van Ruyven-Zeman, op. cit., figs. 1, 6 and 13

³ A.J.J. Delen, Antwerp, Stedelijk Prentenkabinet, Catalogue des dessins anciens, Bruxelles 1938, no. 120