Lot 365
  • 365

CORNELIS SAFTLEVEN | Study of a reclining youth

Estimate
14,000 - 18,000 GBP
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Description

  • Study of a reclining youth
  • Black chalk;signed with monogram and dated, centre left: CSL / 1633
  • 251 by 176 mm

Provenance

J. Werneck, Frankfurt-am-Main (L.2561),
his sale 1885 (according to note on old mount, now removed);
Scheltema, by 1886;
William Pitcairn Knowles, Rotterdam and Wiesbaden (L.2643);
Hamel;
Rudolf Philip Goldschmidt, Berlin (L.2926),
his sale, Frankfurt-am-Main, Prestel, 4-5 October 1917, lot 516;
Dr. Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, The Hague (L.561),
his sale Leipzig, C.G. Boerner, 4 November 1931, lot 217;
Armand Gobiet, Seeham;
from whom acquired by F.C. Butôt (1906-92), Sankt Gilgen, Austria,
his posthumous sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby’s, 16 November 1993, lot 54.

Exhibited

The Hague, Gemeente Museum, Verzameling Dr. C. Hofstede de Groot II, 1930, cat. 99;
Munich, Sotheby's, A selection of paintings and drawings from the Collection of F.C. Butôt, June 1989

Literature

W. Schulz, Cornelis Saftleven, 1607-1681, Berlin/New York 1978, no. 137, fig. 62, reproduced;
L.J. Bol, G.S. Keyes and F.C. Butôt, Netherlandish Paintings and Drawings from the Collection of F.C. Butôt by little-known and rare masters of the seventeenth century, 1981, cat. 42;
I. Fechter, review of exhibition, Munich, 1989, Weltkunst 59, no.12 (15 June 1989), p. 1768

Condition

Window mounted on japan paper which has in turn been hinged to a modern mount. The sheet remains in fine condition throughout with only some minor surface dirt and staining present in places. The black chalk media also remains in extremely good condition throughout. Sold in a modern oak 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. 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 reclining figure has been identified both as a monk and as a shepherd. Schulz (op. cit.) has suggested that this may be a study for a painting of the Mocking of Job, although no such connection has yet been established; the drawing does not relate to the painting of the subject at the Museum Mayer van den Bergh, Antwerp.1 This drawing is, however, linked with the Mayer van den Bergh painting in that both works provide evidence of the passing influence of Rubens on the young Saftleven. The dynamic draughtsmanship, the sweeping and elegant pose of the figure, and the extremely dark, almost greasy, black chalk are all features directly or indirectly derived from the work of the great Flemish master, then at the absolute peak of his powers and influence. Throughout his career, Saftleven produced black chalk figure studies of this type, but only in the first half of the 1630s do these appear in any way influenced by the art of Italy or Flanders.2 Thereafter, Saftleven's figure studies became rather more down to earth, and quintessentially Dutch, both in their subject-matter and in their technique.

1. see B.J.A. Renckens, "Enkele notities bij vroege werken van Cornelis Saftleven", Bulletin Museum Boymans-van Beuningen, XIII, 1962, p. 67
2. see also, for example, the study of a kneeling monk, likewise dated 1633, sold New York, Sotheby's, 13 January 1989, lot 151 and A wild-haired, robed woman rushing to the right, seen from behind, dated 1631, sold Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 2 November 2004, lot 51