Jan van der Straet, called Stradanus

Unidentified collector's mark: B.F (L.366);
Barni collection (according to an inscription on the reverse of the old mount);
sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 14 November 1988, lot 19,
where acquired by the present owner

A. Baroni Vannucci, Jan Van Der Straet detto Giovanni Stradano flandrus pictor et inventor, Milan, 1997, p. 251-52, no. 571, reproduced 

Partially laid down on a paper support to the extremities verso, which has in turn been hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is an old vertical crease to the right half of the sheet and a small hole to the upper centre and lower right corner. There is very minor evidence of some surface dirt, however the drawing remains in otherwise very good condition, with the medium fresh and vibrant throughout. Sold unframed.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

This lively and entertaining hunting scene is a preparatory study for an engraving from the Venationes ferarum avium piscium..., a series of prints depicting every conceivable way of hunting everything from quail to elephants, produced after drawings by Stradanus. The first six of these prints were published by Hieronymous Cock in Antwerp in 1570, while the rest of the series was issued over the following decade, first by Cock's widow, and then by Philips Galle, eventually numbering 104 plates. The origin of this unique series of images lay in a commission which Stradanus received while living in Florence during the 1560s, to produce a series of 28 tapestry designs with hunting subjects for the duke Cosimo de'Medici's villa at Poggio a Caiano. In 1567 he made a series of drawings recording the composition of these tapestries as preparatory studies for engravings. The present scene was engraved in reverse by Hans Collaert as no. 35 in an edition of 61 prints (only nos. 1-39 were numbered) published by Galle circa 1596-1602. The accompanying inscription in doggerel Latin by Cornelis Kiliaan explains the extraordinary subject depicted in the present work. Roughly translated it reads:

In order to disguise their scent, the stags rub themselves over the back of the bull and suspend themselves from the branch of a tree to avoid the hunters and their packs of dogs.

It is difficult to date Stradanus’ drawings for the Venationes since the engravings were produced over a span of about thirty years. Although some have been dated earlier, it is probable that most of the drawings date from well after the completion in the late 1560s of the Poggio a Caiano tapestries. A date in the late 1580s or early 1590s is likely for the present sheet.