Abraham Bloemaert

Sale, London, Sotheby's, 21 March 1973, lot 14;
with Herman Shickman, New York

J. Bolten, Abraham Bloemaert c.1565-1651, The Drawings, Leiden 2007, p. 292, no. 869 (recto), reproduced vol. II, fig. 869 and p. 305, no. 919 (verso), reproduced vol. II, fig. 919

Window mounted on an old album page which has subsequently been hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is evidence of very minor areas of surface dirt to the recto and a small stain to the right of the Bishop's head. There is an old vertical cut line to the lower half of the left edge. The combination of red chalk and wash remains very fresh throughout this impressive sheet. The black chalk verso is more delicate and the chalk very fractionally rubbed, though the image remains strong.
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.

The recto of the present sheet fits very securely into a group of twenty one drawings, described by Bolten as the so-called "Bishops",¹ based on the fact that the models employed by Bloemaert were adorned in ecclesiastical robes, and the figures portrayed were inevitably intended for devotional images. The vast majority of drawings from this very distinctive group are similarly executed in a combination of red chalk and wash, with highly comparable examples now housed in European institutions including the Albertina, Vienna,² and the Musée du Louvre, Paris.³ Whilst Bolten notes that some of the figures from the "Bishops" group were used by Bloemaert in subsequent painted compositions, such as The Church Fathers, "the result is almost always a conversion of poise, gestures and drapery and never an exact copy."⁴ Many of the studies, including the present drawing were not, however, used in paintings, but instead served the more general purpose of preparing the artist for drawing.

The verso of the present lot, executed in black chalk, was previously described by Bolten as "Black chalk (contr'épreuve?, slightly touched up)".⁵ The suggestion of the verso being a reworked counterproof does, however, seem improbable, given that all of the hatching strokes throughout the figure are totally consistent with that of a right handed draughtsman.

^1. Bolten, op.cit., p. 290
^2. Ibid., nos. 866 and 878
^3. Ibid., no. 879
^4. Ibid.
^5. Ibid. p. 305, no. 919