JACOB DE WIT | Study for the Goddess Juno, holding a sceptre, seated on clouds

With B. Houthakker, Amsterdam, 1959;
Hans van Leeuwen, Amerongen, (L.2799a),
his sale, Amsterdam, Christie's, 24 November 1992, lot 444,
where acquired by the present owners

Nijmegen, Waag Museum, Tekeningen uit de Collectie Hans van Leeuwen, 1965, no. 57;
Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, De Verzameling van H. van Leeuwen, 1975-6, no. 142

Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is some minor staining to the extremities and some slight areas of surface dirt to the sky. The combination of media remains in predominantly very good condition throughout, with the image strong. 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.

Drawn in de Wit's characteristic combination of black and red chalk and accompanying washes, Guus van den Hout has kindly informed us that he believes the seated woman depicted holding a sceptre, in this finely preserved sheet, is the Goddess Juno and can be connected with De Wit's ceiling decoration of the main room of Herengracht 366 in Amsterdam. Van den Hout has also confirmed that he regards the drawing, both on stylistic grounds as well as the manner in which the signature has been applied, to date to very early in De Wit’s career, circa 1716-1718, which is consistent with the date of the ceiling decoration (1717-1718).  Fascinatingly and highly plausibly, van den Hout has further suggested that De Wit’s Juno was much influenced by the figure of Divine Providence in Pietro da Cortona’s frescoed ceiling decoration of the Palazzo Barberini in Rome,¹ a theory further reinforced, in part, by the fact that De Wit was known to have owned Cornelis Bloemaert’s set of prints recording the project, after Cortona.
A highly comparable sheet to the present lot, though unconnected to the Herengracht 366 decorative scheme, depicting Yael and also dated by van den Hout to circa 1716-1718, was recently on the Belgian art market.^{2 1.} J.M. Merz, Pietro da Cortona, Tübingen 1991, p. 257, fig. 407
^2. Antwerp, Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge