Cornelis Saftleven

Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 8 November 2000, lot 32;
Emile Wolf, New York,
thence by descent

Ithaca, New York, Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, Dutch Drawings of the Seventeenth Century from a Collection, 1979, no. 61, illustrated

Wolfgang Schulz, Cornelis Saftleven, Berlin/New York 1978, p. 75, no. 16

Laid down. Some brown stains, one near the lower right corner, a couple along the right margin. A repaired tear at the left margin in the centre. A small nick in the paper at the right margin in the centre. Some surface dirt. The tip of the upper left corner has been repaired. Black chalk and wash remain strong and vibrant.
"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."

Scenes of witchcraft and allegories incorporating animals, birds or imaginary diabolical figures form an important part of Cornelis Saftleven's painted oeuvre, but drawings of these subjects are relatively rare.  Just one other example has come to the market in recent decades, a fine, large chalk drawing of a procession of diabolical creatures, relating to a series of six others in the Rijksmuseum, which was acquired by Clement C. Moore at Sotheby's in New York in 2011.¹

Though deriving from the earlier tradition of artists such as Hieronymus Bosch, subjects of this type enjoyed continuing popularity in the Netherlands during the 17th century.

^1. Sale, New York, Sotheby's, 26 January 2011, lot 586; see Schulz, op. cit., nos. 18-23, and Jane Turner, Rembrandt's World, Dutch Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection, exh. cat., New York, The Morgan Library & Museum, 2012, no. 35