Amsterdam, Kunsthandel P. de Boer,
De helsche en de fluwelen Brueghel en hun invloed op de kunst in de Nederlanden, 10 February – 26 March 1934, no. 24;
Brussels, Exposition universelle internationale, Cinq siècles d'arts, I: Peintures arts anciens bruxellois et sections étrangers, 24 May – 13 October 1935, no. 181;
Brussels, Galerie Robert Finck, Trente-trois tableaux de Pierre Brueghel le Jeune dans les collections privées belges, 1969, no. 7;
Brussels, Palais des Beaux Arts, Bruegel. Une dynastie de Peintres, 18 September – 18 No𓃲v꧑ember 1980, no. 92;
Tokyo, Tobu Museum of Art, The World of Bruegel. The Coppée Collection and Eleven International Museums, 29 March – 25 June 1995, no. B24.
H. Gerson,
Art and Architecture in Belgium 1600–1900, Brussels and London 1960, p. 57, reproduced fig. 42;
G. Glück, Das Große Bruegel Werk, Vienna and Munich 1963, p. 115;
G. Marlier, Pierre Brueghel le Jeune, Brus🌞sels 1969, pp. 288–290, no. 1, reprod🌟uced fig. 167;
P. Roberts-Jones, in the catalogue of the exhibition, Bruegel. Une dynastie de Peintres, 💃Brussels, Palais des Beaux Arts, 198ﷺ0, pp. 154, no. 92;
U. Härting, Frans Francken der Jüngere, Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Freren 1989, p. 197, n. 194;
P. Sutton, Northern European paintings in the Phildelphia Museum of Art from the 16th through the 19th century, Philadelphia 1990, ꦛp. 46, under no. 15, version no. 1, repr🃏oduced fig. 15-1;
U. Härting, 'Fragen an eine 'Kreuzerrichtung' mit dem heiligen Bavo?', in Niederländische Beiträge zur Kunstgesichte, vol. 30, Munich 1991, p. 106;
S. Leclercq et al., La Collection Coppée, Liège 1991, pp. 42–45, reproduced;
M. Wilmotte, in the catalogue of the exhibition The World of Bruegel. The Coppée Collection and Eleven International Museums, Tokyo 1995, pp. 98–99, no. B24, reproduc🐷ed;
K. Ertz, in the catalogue of the exhibition, Brueghel–Brueghel, Essen, Villa Hügel, anꦜd Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum, Lingen 1997, pp 100–101, reproduced fig. 1;
K. Ertz, in the catalogue of the exhibition, Brueghel–Brueghel, Essen, Villa Hügel, Vienna, Kunsthistoris♚ches Museum and Antwerp, Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Lingen 1998, pp. 63–66, reproduced fig. 13a;
K. Ertz, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere 1564–1637/1638. Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen 1998–2000, vol. I, pp. 417, 420, 423, 𓃲426, 431, 435, 457, cat. no. E414, reproduced fig. 292;
C. Currie and D. Allart, The Brueg[H]el Phenomenon, Brussels 2012, vol. II, pp. 615–44, vol. III, pp. 738, 788, 805, 809, 9ཧ30–31, 1010, 1017–19, reproduced figs 418, 422–33, 435, 442, 548, 667, 491, 495, 498, 500, 502–10, 513, 603, 649, 652, 672.
The following condition report is provided by Sarah Walden who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's:
Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Calvary. Signed and dated 1615.
This painting is on a large oak panel with three joints. It has been cradled probably early in the last century, when it was also restored. The three joints were reglued perhaps at this time. There had been some slight instability in the panel and occasional past flaking, but no cracking or serious movement, and the panel had remained largely stable over time. Minor raised paint had evidently recurred in the past from time to time but there had been very few serious flaking losses and no accidental damage at all. Old restoration had accreted gradually with several layers of renewed repaint, even over intact original.
In such scenes by Brueghel the spaces between the figures tended to be in light films of almost translucent paint over the under drawing, contrasting with the denser treatment of the figures themselves. The drawing became visible quite rapidly with the naturally increasing transparency of the paint with time. It is these slightly thin looking spaces between the figures, which tended to accumulate retouching, and in this painting there was much old repaint between the perfectly preserved figures. The sky also seemed to have been fairly frequently re- retouched, as is often the case. Much of this was superfluous, covering wide areas of good original as well as little old flakes.
Fortunately the painting clearly had a stable early history with little intervention. It was perhaps during the nineteenth century that most retouching was added, with more at the beginning of the last century. However the beautiful underlying condition of the figures in particular but also of the landscape generally and even of much of the dark sky for instance stems from the security and strength of the painting's early history.
There are some lines of wear along the three joints, and some old wear in the foreground between the figures. Some patches of old repaint remain in places in the rocks and in between some of the figures, but the figures themselves are in miraculously pure condition, as is much of the landscape in the middle distance and the great city.
Conservation work undertaken by Sarah Walden in June 2014:
Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Calvary.
Slightly raised paint in places was consolidated with wax and resin. Various layers of discoloured old varnishes were removed, leaving a fine film in parts. Removal of the darkened old retouching wherever possible. Sometimes the lower older layers of repaint were much hardened and had to remain to be retouched. The old varnish was then evened up and finalised with a film of dammar (natural) resin varnish. Old wear along the joints and patchily in between the figures in the foreground and tiny losses in the sky were retouched with dammar as medium.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."
此油畫為小彼得·布呂赫爾最罕有的留世作品之一。作於1615年，其同樣題材，並且具簽名和紀年的畫作總共僅兩幅。而如今可以肯定為出自其手的同題材畫作也不過四幅，是次拍品為其中最早，也是最重要傑出的一幅。畫家採用居高俯瞰角度，畫中人物比之四周的峭壁巨石，微乎其微。峭壁背後漸壓過來的烏雲和風暴象徵天父之怒。遠處圓頂教堂為耶路撒冷的聖墓教堂，是畫家在此引用的唯一歷史細節，其餘連人物都是穿著時下服裝。他們幾乎全都背向觀者，使觀者目光聚焦耶穌，聖母瑪利亞及其友人等重要角色也只是出現在背景右邊的細小人物，留神觀之才可識別。這幾幅布呂赫爾的油畫近百年來一直屬同一家族珍藏。
