Matthäus Gundelach

Said to have been seized by the King of Poland following the siege of Dresden in the Seven Years' War, and presented to
Caspar de Chesne, Colonel in the Guard of the King of Poland, by whom described in letters written in Warsaw on 20th December 1799 and 11th January 1800 to his nephew, Graf Friedrich-Heinrich von Borcke, as "my Correggio";
By inheritance to his sister;
By inheritance to her son, Graf Friedrich-Heinrich von Borcke;
By inheritance to his son, who offered it for sale (as Correggio) to the King of Prussia in an undated letter, in which he refers to it having belonged to his late father (Graf von Borcke), whom he names;
Acquired by the grandfather of the present owners from an antique shop in Bad Godesberg in 1948.

In overall reasonably good condition. The panel is formed of a single, uncradled plank, which is flat and stable. The paint surface is slightly dirty and the varnish is slightly discoloured and matte. Some of the pigments appear to have thinned slightly over time. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals the milky varnish, beneath which retouching to a vertical surface crack, running up from the lower margin, centre left, measuring approx. 15cm. There are only a handful of other, minor retouchings along the vertical wood grain and scattered around Io's body, as well as in the corners of the upper margin. Offered in a gilt wood frame with lambs tongue moulding.
"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."

This picture was clearly inspired by Correggio, and in particular by his painting of the same subject in Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, so it is not surprising that it used to be believed to be by Correggio. Matthäus Gundelach was the principal associate of Joseph Heintz the Elder, and upon Heintz' death in 1609 succeeded him as Imperial Kammermaler and married his widow. After he left Prague, probably in 1615, he worked for the Duke of Wurttemberg and settled in Augsburg in 1617. This picture however is strongly Rudolfine in taste, and was probably painted in Prague. It is particularly close to Joseph Heintz, who in turn was strongly influenced by Parmese Cinquecento painting, and in particular by Parmigianino, whose works he copied, and by Correggio. Correggio's Jupiter and Io was acquired by Rudolf II, and although it is not always believed to have gone onwards from Vienna to Prague, Gundelach clearly saw it in one of the two Imperial cities.

A similar picture, dependent on this composition and of a later date, was sold as 'attributed to Gundelach', Kempten, Allgauer, 15 January 2016, lot 1604.

We are grateful to Dr. Jürgen Zimmer for proposing the attribution to Gundelach from inspection of photographs, and for suggesting a date of execution between 1610 and 1614.