Lot 158
- 158
Ludolf Backhuysen
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 GBP
bidding is closed
Description
- Ludolf Backhuysen
- Dutch vessels off a coastline on a breezy day
- signed in the centre on the flag: LBAK
- oil on canvas
Provenance
Duc de Guirlande;
Talleyrand;
Comte Jean de Castellane (this and the above according to De Boer 1960);
Probably, anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 24 March 1953, lot 34, sold for FF 180.000 (according to the Hofstede de Groot cards, RKD);
With P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1960;
Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 22 April 1980, lot 3, for DFl. 52,000;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 30 January 1998, lot 188;
With Kunsthandel Douwes, Amsterdam, by 1999, from whom acquired by present owner.
Talleyrand;
Comte Jean de Castellane (this and the above according to De Boer 1960);
Probably, anonymous sale, Paris, Galerie Charpentier, 24 March 1953, lot 34, sold for FF 180.000 (according to the Hofstede de Groot cards, RKD);
With P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1960;
Anonymous sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby Mak van Waay, 22 April 1980, lot 3, for DFl. 52,000;
Anonymous sale, New York, Sotheby’s, 30 January 1998, lot 188;
With Kunsthandel Douwes, Amsterdam, by 1999, from whom acquired by present owner.
Exhibited
Delft, Museum Het Prinsenhof, Oude Kunst- en Antiekbeurs, 24 August – 14 September 1960;
Leeuwarden, Fries Museum, Van Jan Steen tot Jan Sluijters, 21 November 1998 – 21 February 1999, no. 13.
Leeuwarden, Fries Museum, Van Jan Steen tot Jan Sluijters, 21 November 1998 – 21 February 1999, no. 13.
Condition
The canvas is relined, the paint surface is stable with a clear and even varnish. There are no major damages visible to the naked eye. Inspection under ultra violet light reveals some scattered retouchings in the sky with the main concentration at the upper right hand corner, and at the right margin just above the horizon line, and at the left margin. Otherwise there is little intervention in the sea and ships, and the picture appears to be on overall very good condition. This lot is offered in a brown Dutch style frame with ripple moulding, in good condition.
"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."
"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
To the left is a Dutch Man O' War, to the right a Fluit with its characteristic high stern, and in the foreground is a two-masted Dutch Snow or a large Pink, which appears to be ferrying passengers rather than carrying cargo. This beautifully understood sea-piece, with an open, uncluttered composition, is an unusually reflective work for Backhuysen. Rarely does he focus the viewer's attention on a relatively small vessel occupying the middle of the foreground, while relegating the merchantmen and Men O' War to the middle and far distances. The short sea growing increasingly choppy towards the right foreground suggests that the small vessel is approaching a harbour mouth or the entrance to a river, perhaps marked by the buoy nearby, the stronger current throwing up the waves against the wind, which drives spume off their crests. The foreground is in the deep shadow of a cloud, so that only the breaking crests of the waves catch the light, but a few yards further off, the sun illuminates the greenish-yellow sea.
Although the work is undated, the vessels depicted and the style, which retains the influence of Willem van de Velde the Younger, points to a dating in the latter part of the 1670s. Dr Gerlinde de Beer endorsed the attribution in writing in 2003, when she dated this painting circa 1680.