Marten van Valckenborch I

Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 13 November 1936, lot 63, part of a set of four, for £262, to de Blanco;
With Pieter de Boer, Amsterdam;
Acquired from the above by A.H. van Heek, Enschede.

Enschede, Twenthe Museum, October 1929, no. 29;
Almelo, Kunstring De Waag, Oude Kunst uit Twents Particulier Bezit, 31 October – 30 November 1953, no. 54;
Liège, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Visage de Liège, 1955, no. 228

A. Wied, Lucas und Marten van Valckenborch. Das gesamtwerk mit kritischem Œuvrekatalog, Freren 1990, p. 267, no. 32, reproduced fig. 32 (as signed and dated 1600)

The panel is flat and uncradled. The varnish is clear and appears even. There is a very slight degree of wear in some of the details but overall the picture appears to be in good condition. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals a patchy varnish, some areas of an older varnish remain as the work has been selectively cleaned. There are scattered retouchings throughout, particularly in the sky and in the left of the distant landscape. There are two small restored losses to the right of the seated pipe player in the foreground, and strengthenings in some of the dark tones. Offered in a Dutch style simple carved black wood frame in 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."

At the time of the Christie's sale in 1936, this panel formed part of a series of four panels depicting the Four Seasons. Of these Winter and Spring are signed and dated 1600, but the same date recorded by Wied on this panel is no longer legible. The set was dispersed by Pieter de Boer; Winter went to a Stockholm private collection and was later with Galerie de Jonckheere in Paris,¹ while Spring and this panel were sold to A.H. van Heek in Enschede. Spring re-appeared on the market in 2000, when it was offered at Christie's by a descendant.² While in the panel of Spring, Valckenborch concentrates upon the pleasures of courtly love, here he also includes seasonal labours such as sheep dipping and shearing, appropriate to the month of June. Similar scenes are to be found in another, slightly smaller, panel recorded by Wied in the Jacobs van Merlen collection in Antwerp.³ By this relatively late date, Marten van Valckenborch had moved from Antwerp to Frankfurt, where he had set up a flourishing workshop with his brother Lucas.

1. The panel was subsequently offered anonymously ('The Property of a Private Collector'), London, Christie's, 8 December 2004, lot 19.
2. Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 13 December 2000, lot 12.
3. Wied 1990, no. 7.