Abraham Bloemaert

Sale, London, Christie's, 10 July 1973, lot 141;
John and Alice Steiner, Larchmont, New York

Santa Barbara Museum of Art et al, Old Master Drawings from the Collection of John and Alice Steiner, 1986-7, no. 63;
Champaign, Illinois, Krannert Art Museum, and Atlanta, High Museum of Art, Italian and Netherlandish Drawings from the Steiner Collection, 1994

J. Bolten, Abraham Bloemaert, The Drawings, Leiden 2007, vol. I, p. 186, under no. 526, vol. II, p. 243, fig. 526b

Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern card backing. There are some very minor abrasions to the extremities and some very small brown stains to the upper right corner. There are some small losses to some of the white heightening and oxidization in places to the areas that remain.The combination of media remains in otherwise very good condition throughout, with the pen and ink strong and vibrant. Sold in a modern giltwood frame.
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 subject of Vertumnus and Pomona is taken from Ovid's Metamorphoses and was clearly a favorite of Bloemaert's, for it was one that he treated on numerous occasions and in a wide variety of media - including a print of 1605,¹ four paintings,² and at least six drawings,³ one of which is a design for the aforementioned print, and now housed in the collection of the Kunsthalle, Bremen.⁴ The present sheet belongs to a particularly distinctive group of three drawings, published by Bolten (op. cit.) in 2007, all of which depict the deceptive Vertumnus making amorous advances on Pomona in the somewhat unorthodox guise of an elderly woman. All three works are executed in a distinctive combination of pen and brown ink and wash, with touches of white heightening and show the fascinating way in which Bloemaert has allowed the subject to evolve through his drawings, with subtle differences in the tilt of a head or positioning of a hand, making all the difference as to how we, the viewer, interpret the narrative.

The verso of the present sheet, which depicts a reclining figure and a study of a hand playing a musical instrument, seems unrelated to the subject of the recto, but through the pose of the reclining figure, lying at the base of a tree is, in its own way, totally typical of Bloemaert, who frequently employed figures of this sort throughout his work.

^1. M. Roethlisberger, Abraham Bloemaert and His Sons, Ghent 1993, vol. II, fig. 151
^2. Ibid., figs. 109, 187 and 413 and sale, New York, Sotheby's, 24 January 2008, lot 231
^3. Bolten, op.cit., pp. 185-188, nos. 525-528
^4. Ibid., p. 185-186, no. 525