THOMAS SHOTTER BOYS | A View of Rubens' Castle at Elewijt, Brabant

Dr. John Percy, London (L.1504);
sale, London, Sotheby's, 20 November 1986, lot 119

Laid down on a card backing which has subsequently been hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern mount. There is an old mount mark to the extremities of the sheet. The work remains in otherwise good condition, with the image strong. Sold in a 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.

In the present sheet, Shotter Boys conveys the tranquility of the Rubens Castle in Elewijt, Brabant, in Belgium. The castle, also known as ‘Castle of Het Steen’, was where Sir Peter Paul Rubens chose to spend the final years of his life. He purchased the castle in 1635, and remained there for five years until his death in 1640, and Rubens even depicted it in paintings dating to that era, such as Tournament in front of Castle Steen, 1635-37 (Paris, Musée du Louvre). During the 1830s, Thomas Shotter Boys travelled in Europe, working on what would become his lithographic series, Picturesque Architecture in Paris, Ghent, Rouen, etc. which was published in 1839. When the Belgian Revolution broke out in the summer of 1830, Shotter Boys was at the center of it in Brussels, just a short distance from Elewijt.