Lot 119
  • 119

DUTCH SCHOOL, 17TH CENTURY | The Murder of a Spanish Colonist in the Americas

Estimate
3,000 - 4,000 GBP
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Description

  • The Murder of a Spanish Colonist in the Americas
  • Pen and brown ink and brown and grey wash, over red chalk, within brown ink framing lines; indented and blackened on the reverse for transfer;bears attributions in pencil, verso: Post, and (in the hand of Arthur Feldmann) Matthäus Merian
  • 133 by 180 mm

Provenance

Rudolf Peltzer, Cologne (L.2231);
Arthur Feldmann, Brno,
sale, Lucerne, Gilhofer & Ranschburg, 28 June 1934, lot 214 (as Frans Jansz. Post), unsold,
looted by the Gestapo during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia;
accessioned by the National Gallery, Prague, inv. nos. DK 4600 (bears their mark, versoNGGS/PRAHA, not in Lugt);
restituted to the heirs of Arthur Feldmann in 2015

Condition

Hinged to mount at left side. Remains of two old hinges in top corners, verso. Small water stain visible lower right edge, verso. Overall condition very good and fresh.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This intriguing drawing relates to plate five in the fourth volume of Theodor de Bry's America, an epic 13-volume series of publications and re-publications of a wide variety of accounts of the activities, travels and tribulations of European colonists and explorers in the Americas.  The volumes were published over a period of many years, from 1590 to 1634. The fourth volume in the series was issued in 1594, under the title: Americae pars quarta. Sive, Insignis & admiranda historia de reperta premium Occidentali India a Christophoro Columbo anno MCCCCXCII.  The text, a Latin translation of Giralmo Benzoni’s Historia del Mondo Nuovo (Venice 1565), is essentially a great catalogue of atrocities committed by the Spanish during the course of their colonial activities in the New World.  Unlike the original edition of 1565, De Bry’s publication of the text was illustrated with a number of engravings, including one (fig. 1) which is clearly linked to the present drawing in terms of composition.  The artist responsible for the designs for the illustrations to this volume is not recorded, but in any case, the present drawing cannot be considered the preparatory study for the engraving.  Although the drawing is indented for transfer, it is in the same direction as the print, and, more importantly, there are many significant differences between the two compositions: for example, the engraved image shows two separate groups of natives on the shore, each surrounding the dead body of a Spaniard, whereas in the drawing only one such group appears.  The type of vegetation seen in each image is also entirely different, suggesting they were meant to depict very different locations. 

Stylistically, the present drawing also seems significantly later in date, and is broadly reminiscent of the works of later 17th-century Dutch designers of book illustrations such as Jan Goeree, Romeyn de Hooghe or Gerard Hoet. The most logical explanation would seem to be that the image from De Bry’s 1594 publication was taken up and adapted by a later illustrator, perhaps even to illustrate an entirely different text, but until a directly related print or drawing is identified, both the function and the authorship of this intriguing drawing remain a puzzle.

The drawing belonged to the illustrious Czech collector Dr. Arthur Feldmann, whose collection was extensively looted during World War II.  A significant group of restituted Feldmann drawings was sold at Sotheby's in London on 6 July 2005; for a full account of the collection and its fate, see the introduction preceding lot 11 in that sale catalogue.