Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel

Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby's, 13 October 1989, lot 236;

Where acquired by the family of the present collector.

Egbert Lievensz. van der Poel specialized in brandjes (nocturnal fire scenes) and was celebrated in his own day as Holland's best "fire painter". His fascination with the subject was likely influenced by the tragic Delft Explosion of 12 October 1654; one of the gunpowder magazines containing 90,000 pounds of gunpowder caught fire, destroying much of the city center and razing two hundred houses. Van der Poel's daughter died in the explosion, after which the artist moved his family to Rotterdam and turned his focus toward depictions of infernos.