BICCI DI LORENZO (1373 Florence 1452) Counterparts: Saint Benedict and Saint Margaret. Tempera on wood. 33 × 30 cm each. Provenance: - Collection Josef Clemens Prince of Bavaria. - Private collection, Southern Germany. With a detailed art historical analysis by Prof. Dr Gaudenz Freuler, January 2024. Benedict and Margaret of Antioch both appear as full-length figures in the light-coloured habit of the Benedictine order, which suggests that the two panels were once created as lateral elements of a winged altarpiece in the context of one of the Benedictine branches. The dragon devouring an unclothed figurine, which St Margaret is leading on a leash, alludes to an episode in her legend, according to which a city prefect saw St Margaret tending sheep and desired her. As she steadfastly refused, he had her thrown into prison and subjected to various tortures. The tempter appeared to her several times as a giant dragon and coiled around her to devour her, but he was broken by the sign of the cross that Margaret made over him and she remained unharmed. As will be argued below, the authorship of the two panels can be attributed to the Florentine painter Bicci di Lorenzo. He was the second generation of a famous Florentine dynasty of painters, founded by his father Lorenzo di Bicci (c. 1350-1427) and carried on well into the 15th century by the third generation with Neri di Bicci (1418-1492), his son. This authorship can easily be verified by comparing it with Bicci di Lorenzo's side panels of a small winged altarpiece in the Berlin Gemäldegalerie (1527,1528, inv. no. CC BY-NC-SA). Just as here, the saint's face shows the typical simplification of the internal forms, abstracting them into simple sculptural shapes, to which his father, Lorenzo di Bicci, had already turned. Bicci di Lorenzo's art is unmistakably derived from his father's form. Early on, the painter also turned artistically to one of the formative exponents of "Neo-Giottism" in Florence, namely Spinello Aretino (c. 1350-c. 1410). From the last decade of the 14th century, he had decidedly embraced a "renaissance" of Giotto's sculptural forms and thus followed a trend to which the leading Florentine painter of the time, Lorenzo Monaco (c. 1370-c. 1425), also felt attached - albeit within a cultivated Gothic pictorial world. This tendency towards an at times somewhat crude-looking abstraction after Giotto is characteristic of Bicci di Lorenzo's early phase around 1410-1420, to which the two aforementioned altarpieces in Berlin also belong. To summarise, it can be stated that the panels in question here originate from a winged altarpiece for the private devotion of a Benedictine monk, probably painted in the second decade of the 15th century, perhaps still in his father's workshop. The fact that the two panels - when joined together - reveal a continuous floe landscape could be interpreted to mean that they once formed the back of the wings and were intended to be viewed when closed. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus surcharge. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

FILIPPINO LIPPI, workshop (Prato 1457-1504 Florence) Madonna and Child. Oil on wood. 49.2 × 38.9 cm. Provenance: Swiss private collection.

FLORENCE, AROUND 1480 Four Dominicans: St Thomas Aquinas, St Vincent, St Anthony and St Catherine of Sienna. Oil on wood. 39.2 × 31.5 cm. Provenance: Swiss private collection, Château de Courtaney.

MAESTRO DI SANT'IVO Madonna with St Anthony and St Francis. Tempera and gold ground on wood. 84 × 47.2 cm. Provenance: Swiss private property. Literature: - Miklòs Boskovits: Pittura Fiorentina alla vigilia del Rinascimento, 1370-1400, Florence 1975, pp. 376-379. - Costanza Baldini: Il Maestro di Sant'Ivo: profilo di un pittore fiorentino a cavallo tra XIV e XV secolo, in: Arte Cristiana, XCIII, 2005, pp. 261-276. The present panel with the Madonna and Child and Saints Anthony Abbas and Francis epitomises a type of private devotion that was very popular in Florence at the end of the 14th and beginning of the 15th century. The Madonna lowers her eyes to her son while tenderly offering him her breast. The Christ Child, dressed in a green cloth and looking up at his mother, sits on her arm in a playful pose that somewhat cheers up the picture. The liveliness of the Christ Child, the elongated proportions of the figures and the rhythmic contours that animate our somewhat sombrely coloured picture are typical features of late Gothic Florentine painting. This is undoubtedly a characteristic work by the Master of St Ivo, several of whose paintings on the same theme (Madonna with Child and Saints Anthony Abbas and Francis) have survived. This applies to the panel formerly in the Galli collection in Carate Brianza (Baldini 2005, p. 268, fig. 9) or the one sold from the Mazzoni collection in Siena in 1927 (Baldini 2005, p. 276, appendix no. 45). Unfortunately, it has not been possible to verify whether the present painting is possibly the one auctioned in Siena. The hitherto anonymous Master of Sant'Ivo owes his notable name to a painting with a highly unusual subject, St Ivo in Judgement, which was formerly in the Palazzo di Parte Guelfa and can now be seen in the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence (Baldini 2005). Federico Zeri was the first to attribute a group of works to this master in 1967, calling him the "Master of the Madonna Christ Church" because of the similarity between a Madonna of Humility in the Christ Church Picture Gallery in Oxford (inv. no. 17) and another in the Vatican Museums' collections (inv. no. 178). A few years later, in 1975, Miklòs Boskovits summarised 35 paintings by the hand of our Master and renamed him "Master of Sant'Ivo". This oeuvre has since expanded to a good fifty works. The earliest works by the Master, who worked between around 1390 and 1415, show clear influences from the art of Agnolo Gaddis (1350-1396), which indicates that he was probably trained in his workshop. His hand has been identified in Gaddi's late fresco cycles in Santa Croce in Florence and in the cathedral of Prato. His later work shows an affinity with the works of Mariotto di Nardo (c. 1365-c. 1424), Lorenzo Monaco (c. 1370-c. 1425) and Lippo d'Andrea (c. 1370-before 1451). Judging by the paintings previously attributed to him, the Master of Sant'Ivo seems to have specialised more in the painting of small-format works, such as the present panel depicting the Madonna and Child with Saints, which were intended for private devotion (see Koller, Zurich, 31.3.2023, lot 3001, sold for CHF 51,540). The group of figures in our Madonna and Child appears to be a direct derivative of one of our painter's most graceful Madonna paintings, a circular picture with an extremely similar configuration of figures, which is in the London art trade (Moretti Art Gallery). The latter is a round picture that was attached to the keystone as a vault finial. As the latter is clearly orientated towards the art of the late Agnolo Gaddi and the early work of Lorenzo Monaco (San Gaggio Altarpiece 1388-90) and reveals subtleties of execution, it can be assumed that the London Madonna can be dated to the late 14th century. This is also confirmed by the appearance of this graceful Madonna, which is not yet marred by the conspicuous graphic simplifications and brittleness of the later style. The painting already bears witness to the master's later artistic tendency to create his paintings in a somewhat more brittle form and, in their simplification and abstraction of forms, to bring them closer in certain ways to the works of his Florentine contemporary Lorenzo di Niccolò (1373-1412), such as the Madonna in the winged altarpiece painted around 1400 in the sacristy of San Lorenzo. This should provide an approximate date for the creation of our panel painting by the Master of Sant'Ivo. A date of around 1400 seems plausible. We would like to thank Prof. Dr. Gaudenz Freuler for his scientific support in cataloguing this painting.

PARMA, AROUND 1550 Holy family in a landscape with St Catherine. Oil on wood. 74.5 × 57 cm. Provenance: - Auction Sotheby's, London, 22 April 2009, lot 103. - Swiss private ownership.

NAPLES, LATE 16TH CENT. Annunciation. Oil on wood. 91.5 × 70.2 cm. Provenance: - Auction Hermann Ball and Paul Graupe, Berlin, 10 Dec. 1932, lot 10 (as Giulio Romano). - Auction Dr Walther Achenbach, Berlin, 10.3.1937, lot 51 (as Giulio Romano). - Swiss private collection. This painting from the late 16th century is a very good and art-historically valuable example of an Annunciation scene. It depicts the Virgin Mary at the moment when the angel Gabriel announces to her that she will conceive and give birth to the Son of God from the Holy Spirit. Numerous aspects typical of the motif of the Annunciation can be found in our painting. For example, the moment of the Annunciation depicted, which surprises the Virgin Mary as she studies the Bible, takes place in an interior room. The white lily in the angel's hand refers to Mary's virginity, while the white dove symbolises the Holy Spirit. This painting thus combines the central motifs of the key religious scene depicted.

MASTER OF THE FEMALE HALF-LENGTH FIGURES (Netherlands, active 1525-1550) Maria lactans. Oil on wood. 39.5 × 29 cm. Provenance: - Auction Fischer, Lucerne, 12 June 2002, lot 319. - Collection Dr Sylvia Legrain. The anonymous master of the female half-length figures, who was active in the southern Netherlands, perhaps also in Antwerp in the first half of the 16th century, was given his notational name by the art historian Max Friedländer (1867-1958). The name refers to the very specific work of the painter and his workshop, which is characterised by the depiction of elegant ladies in three-quarter view. The female figures are characterised by a recurring, heart-shaped face and a calm, gentle facial expression. Many of the works depict religious and mythological figures, such as the Madonna and Child reading here. The background is usually a restrained interior in which the ladies are engaged in various activities ranging from reading to playing various instruments. A very nice comparison of a depiction of Maria Lactans by the master can be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. no. SK-A-3130).

BRUGES, 16TH CENT. St Anne with St Joseph and St Joachim. Oil on wood. 42.8 × 31.7 cm. Provenance: - Auction Fischer, Lucerne, 21 June 2004, lot 1003 (as Bruges, c. 1520). - Collection Dr Sylvia Legrain. The panel offered here has stylistic similarities with the early work of Jan Provost (1462-1525), who worked in Bruges. A compositionally interesting comparison can be found with the painting of the enthroned Mary with St Jerome and St John the Baptist and a kneeling Carthusian monk in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. no. SK-A-2569).

MASTER OF THE VON GROOTESCHEN ADORATION, workshop (active around 1510 Antwerp) The Adoration of the Magi. Oil on wood. 83.7 × 71.2 cm. Provenance: - Sotheby's auction, London, 15.5.1946, lot 129 (as G. van Coninxloo). - Kunsthandel Wengraf, Arcade Gallery, London. - Auction Fischer, Lucerne, unknown date, probably late 1970s/early 1980s, lot 1987 (labelled on verso). - Swiss private collection. Several variants of this composition by the Antwerp Master of the Adoration of Groote and his workshop are known, whereby it was often used as the central panel of a triptych. The painting offered here is particularly similar to the version in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich (inv. no. 1413 a, b, c). The Master of the Adoration of Groote was one of the most important painters of the so-called Antwerp Mannerists, who were active in the first half of the 16th century. Friedländer was the first to describe these painters as a group in 1915, as their works had previously been wrongly attributed to Herri met de Bles (1548-1606) or his workshop. The oeuvre of the Master of the Von Groote Adoration is essentially based on the altarpiece that originally belonged to Baron Von Groote in Kitzburg and depicts the Adoration of the Magi. Further variants of this altarpiece can be found in the John G. Johnson Collection in Philadelphia (inv. no. 383) and in the Staatliche Kunsthalle in Karlsruhe (inv. no. 145, see Max J. Friedländer: Early Netherlandish Painting, vol. XI, Leiden/Brussels 1974, p. 70, cat. no. 29a, b, c, plate 39).

BERNER NELKENMEISTER, circle (active in Bern around 1479-1510) Annunciation. Around 1500. Oil on wood. 98 × 91 cm. Expertise: - Alfred Stange, 28 June 1967 (as Berner Nelkenmeister, copy of expertise available). - Dr Charlotte Gutscher-Schmid, 18.2.2024 (as Berner Nelkenmeister circa 1500). Provenance: Swiss private property, Château de Courtaney. Literature: Alfred Stange and Nobert Lieb: Kritisches Verzeichnis der deutschen Tafelbilder vor Dürer, vol. II: Oberrhein, Bodensee, Schweiz, Mittelrhein, Ulm, Augsburg, Allgäu, Nördlingen, von der Donau zum Necker, Munich 1970, no. 331, p. 78. The panel with the Annunciation to Mary is the former inside of a left-hand wing of the reredos. The depiction of the Nativity on the right-hand inner panel was probably its counterpart. The composition is based on several graphic models, such as a copperplate engraving by Martin Schongauer (1445/50-1491), who was very well known in the late 15th century. The robe of the archangel, on the other hand, with its short sleeves and beaded hems, is more similar to those in 15th century Italian depictions of the Annunciation. The term "carnation masters" can be used to describe artists' workshops in the Solothurn, Bern, Baden and Zurich areas between 1479 and 1510, who favoured signing their works with red and white carnations. The painter of our panel proves to be a typical representative of the period around 1500, who skilfully combined various known models to create his own version. This independent approach to models is what makes this altarpiece so appealing. The panel also demonstrates the high level of craftsmanship of a late medieval workshop in our region. It captivates with its exceptionally beautiful colours and the successful depiction of the relationship between the angel and the self-confident but humble Mother of God.

RAFFAELLO SANZIO called RAFFAEL, copy probably from the late 18th century. (Urbino 1483-1520 Rome) Bridgewater Madonna. Oil on wood. Lower left with remains of a coat of arms. 89 × 63 cm. Provenance: - Probably created before the original in the Duc d'Orléans collection, late 18th century. - Swiss private ownership. The painting is based on Raphael's famous composition, which is in the Scottish National Gallery in Edinburgh (inv. no. NGL 065.46) and was part of the collection of the Duc d'Orléans in the late 18th century, who is known to have made his collection accessible to artists in order to create copies. The precious walnut painting support also indicates that it was made in France in the late 18th century and the antique frame emphasises the high value of this copy.

FRANCESCO D'UBERTINO VERDI called BACHIACCA, workshop (1494 Florence 1557) St John the Baptist. Oil on wood. 31 × 22 cm. Provenance: Swiss private collection, Château de Courtaney. The painting of St John the Baptist offered here skilfully combines the figurative painting of Italian art with lush landscapes north of the Alps. The carefully elaborated animal world with deer and birds as well as the meticulously detailed flora are characteristic features of Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, who called himself Bachiacca. The composition of St John the Baptist has survived in a drawing (black chalk on paper, 27.2 × 18.6 cm) by Francesco Bachiacca, which is currently on sale in New York. Robert La France recognises in our version a work from Bachiacca's workshop, the Verdi family following the master, for which we thank him. Another version on the same subject painted by Bachiacca in oil can be found in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts (oil and gold ground on wood, 41.9 × 28.6 cm, inv. no. 1973.080.005.001) in which the landscape elements in the background have been emphasised more strongly. In terms of style, La France compares our depiction with the painting Triumph of Time (oil on wood, 32 × 25 cm, formerly David M. Koetser Gallery Zurich, in: Robert La France: Bachiacca: artist of the Medici Court, Florence 2008, cat. no. 154, p. 299, fig. 97), which is also attributed to the Verdi family workshop. The roe deer in particular shows stylistic parallels with our depiction. Francesco d'Ubertino Verdi, known as Bachiacca, was one of the most influential artists of Florentine Mannerism, whose family of artists, characterised by success, flourished during the 16th century. Alongside his brothers Baccio (1484-1526/29) and Antonio (1499-1572) and his father Ubertino di Bartolomeo (1446-1505), Francesco was the most talented and best known of the Verdi family. His artistic career began under the influence of Pietro Perugino (1545/48-1523), under whom he was able to develop and refine his own style, finally reaching a peak when he joined the painters' guild Arte de' Medici e Speziali in 1529. Bachiacca's works were highly regarded at the court of the Medici family. His unmistakable hybrid style at the time illustrates that his cosmopolitan taste inspired the vibrant pictorial culture of the Florentine Renaissance and met the demands of his privileged clientele (see Robert La France 2008, pp. 31-33).

MASTER OF THE CLOELIA BATH (active in Verona, late 15th/early 16th century) Adoration of the Magi. Circa 1490. Black chalk and tempera on canvas. 115 × 270.5 cm. Provenance: - Kunsthandel Julius Böhler, Munich, 1981. - Swiss private collection. Literature: Mattia Vinco: La scuola veronese di pittura di Jean Paul Richter, Todi 2021, pp. 57-58, ill. 33. This Adoration of the Magi fills the foreground in the form of a frieze from left to right. The second part of the procession can be seen in the background, with men following the Magi, who are paying homage to the Christ Child. This theme gives the painter the opportunity to embellish the painting with many details, such as the comet and the shepherds who are the first to receive the news of the birth. From a technical point of view, this work is unusual, as it was painted with black chalk and tempera in the darker areas and then treated with a fixative. This particular "drawing" falls into the realm of gouache tempera or distemper on canvas, a technique that aims to achieve a matt glossy effect, similar to a fresco, but is made on a movable support. This technique was used in the 15th century in northern Italian cities, particularly in Mantua and Venice, to solve the problem of rising damp, which damaged the frescoes (see K. Christiansen: Some observations on Mantegna's Painting Technique, in: Andrea Mantegna, exh.Cat. ed. by J. Martineau, Milan 1992, pp. 68-78; A. Rothe: Mantegna's Paintings in Distemper, in: ibid., pp. 80-88). Andrea Mantegna and his successors of the 15th century most frequently used canvas as a painting support, both for altarpieces and for secular works. Mantegna is regarded as the one who ennobled the technique of gouache tempera in Italy. Apart from a few Venetian exceptions from the mid-15th century, this technique was used before Mantegna for very specific works, such as processional banners, organ screens and antependiums. Prof. Mattia Vinco published the painting offered here in 2021 as a work by the Master of the Cloelia Bath (see literature). The oeuvre of this anonymous painter from the circle of Andrea Mantegna, who was active in Verona in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, has been examined and reconstructed by Prof. Vinco in recent years (see Mattia Vinco: Cassoni. Pittura profana del Rinascimento, Milan 2018, pp. 336-337). Stylistically, the master is close to Giovanni Maria Falconetto (1468-1535) and Michele da Verona (1470-1540). The work that gives the master his name depicts the female figure Cloelia from early Roman history as she crosses the Tiber to escape Porsenna and is in the collection of the Marquess of Bath at Longleat House in Great Britain (see Vinco 2018, ibid., p. 344, cat. no. 112). This painting, together with Filippo da Verona's gentler depiction of Arianna in Nasso of c. 1510 (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, inv. no. SK-A-3967), testifies to the late rediscovery of Mantegna's models in Verona.

JOOS VAN CLEVE, circle (c. 1485 Antwerp c. 1541) Cherry Madonna with child. Oil on wood. Remains of a date lower right on the plinth: 152... 75 × 61 cm. Provenance: Swiss private ownership. Together with the depiction of Jesus and John embracing as boys, the Cherry Madonna is probably one of the most popular compositions in Antwerp in the second half of the 1520s and above all in the oeuvre of Joos van Cleve and his workshop. It is based on a lost prototype by Leonardo da Vinci (1492-1519), which was created in Milan around 1508 and which was widely used in numerous copies from the Italian master's workshop. The version by Giampetrino (active 1495-1549), now in a private collection, was probably also in Antwerp at the time and served as a direct model for the version offered here (fig. 1, taken from: Joos van Cleve - Leonardo of the North, ed. by Peter van den Brink, exhib. cat. Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum Aachen, Aachen 2011, p. 116, fig. 89). As Micha Leeflang explains, a cardboard box probably existed in Cleve's workshop, which made it possible to reproduce this popular motif (ibid. 149). Antwerp was the birthplace of serial production at the time, which made it possible to satisfy the great demand for works of art inspired by Italian styles (see Peter van den Brink: "The Art of Copying: Copying and Serial Production of Paintings in the Low Countries in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries", in: Brueghel Enterprises, ed. by Peter van den Brink, exhib. cat. Bonnefantenmuseum, Maastricht and Museés royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Brussels 2001 pp. 20-36). Dr John Hand suspects that our work originated in the workshop of Joos van Cleves, for which we thank him. Dr Micha Leeflang, whom we also thank for her opinion, recognises in our version an accomplished painter in the master's circle in Antwerp. The localisation to Antwerp is also explained by the characteristic architecture on the left in the background. With the help of infrared reflectography, it is also possible to recognise underdrawings that prove the artistically individual realisation of the composition (Fig. 2). In his depictions, Joos van Cleve adopts Leonardesque characteristics such as the sfumato, the lighting and the shapes of the curved round faces and combines them with Italianised formal elements according to his own ideas. This independent interpretation can also be recognised in this version in the garland of plants, the background landscape visible through the window section and the tendril-like ornamentation in the architecture.

MASTER OF MORRISON-TRIPTYCHON, workshop (active in Antwerp around 1500-1510) Mary with child, surrounded by angels making music. Oil on wood. 56.3 × 42.5 cm. Provenance: - Robert Leroy Shalkop Collection (1922-2008), Salisbury, North Carolina. - European private collection. - Auction Koller, Zurich, 25.9.2020, lot 3017. - Collection of Dr Sylvia Legrain. The Master of the Morrison Triptych is the name given to a Dutch painter of the early 16th century who was named after the painting of an enthroned Madonna and Child, which was once part of the collection of the English textile manufacturer Alfred Morrison at Fonthill House in Wiltshire and is now in the Toledo Museum of Art. Stylistic influences of the Antwerp painter Quentin Massys (1466-1530), as whose pupil the master of the Morrison triptych was considered in part, cannot be overlooked, as can certain similarities to the oeuvre of Hans Memling (around 1433-1494). The composition offered here is also known in Memling's oeuvre, such as the panel of a diptych from around 1480-90, which is now in the Pinakothek in Munich (inv. no. 680). The master of the Morrison triptych could possibly be identified with the painter Simon of Haarlem (active 1501-1529), who ran a respected workshop in Antwerp around 1510 and also supplied works to Spain.

CORNELIS VAN CLEVE, workshop (1520 Antwerp 1567) Mary with child, St John the Baptist and angels. Oil on wood. 63.7 × 51.2 cm. Provenance: Swiss private property. This atmospheric composition with Mary and the Christ Child, St John the Baptist and angels can be identified as a very high-quality work from the workshop of Cornelis van Cleve. Individual motifs such as the Mother of God, the boy Jesus and the draped curtain are particularly expressive and convey the artistic proximity to the master. The composition takes up an idea by Andrea del Sarto (1486-1531), which was very popular in the 16th century and to which numerous contemporary copies bear witness (John Shearman: Andrea del Sarto, Oxford 1965, no. 32, pp. 217-219). Cornelis van Cleve devoted himself to this depiction several times, for example in a version in the Chrysler Museum of Art (inv. no. 2014.3.4), in which the composition is supplemented by a rounded staircase in the foreground, which is also taken up in the painting offered here. Cornelis van Cleve's oeuvre has been little explored to date due to the lack of documented works. Stylistically influenced by his father Joos van Cleve (1485-1540), with whom Cornelis was apprenticed, a number of high-quality panels can be attributed to Cornelis' hand, to which the work presented here can also be related. We would like to thank Dr John Hand for his help in cataloguing this work on the basis of a photograph.

JAN VAN SCOREL, perimeter (Scorel 1495-1562 Delft) Adoration of the Magi. Oil on wood. 63.7 × 51 cm. Provenance: - Acquired in a gallery in Brussels, 1930. - Since then by inheritance, European private collection. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

DAVID VINCKBOONS the Elder, Circumference (Mechelen 1576-1632 Amsterdam) Vast wooded landscape. Circa 1610-20. Oil on wood. 35.6 × 63 cm. Provenance: European collection. With a dendrochronological report by Prof. Dr Peter Klein dated 30.10.2015, which dates the wooden panel to around 1612-1618 (felling date around 1610-1620). A comparable composition by David Vinckboons can be found in the Bayerische Gemäldesammlungen - Staatsgalerie in the Neue Residenz Bamberg (inv. no. 5983, oil on wood, 50.7 × 83.5 cm), which is dated around 1602-03. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

LUCAS CRANACH the Elder and workshop (Kronach 1472-1553 Weimar) The Marriage of St Catherine in the circle of the Holy Virgins Barbara, Margaret and Dorothea. Oil on wood. 40.6 × 26.5 cm. Provenance: - Jauner von Schroffenegg Collection, Vienna. - Auction Kunstsalon Pisko, von Schroffenegg Collection, 11 November 1907, lot 77 (as German School, 16th century), sold to Berger. - Collection Dr Berger, Vienna. - Collection of Princess Hilda Schwarzenberg (1897-1979). - Returned by the above to Dr Berger, USA, after 1945. - By inheritance, private collection. - Acquired from a European private collector, 1995. - By inheritance, European private collection. Literature: - Max J. Friedländer and Jakob Rosenberg: The Paintings of Lucas Cranach, London 1978, p. 86, no. 85A. - Max J. Friedländer and Jakob Rosenberg: Die Gemälde von Lucas Cranach, Basel/Boston/Stuttgart 1979, p. 87, no. 85A. - E. Ullmann: Lucas Cranach the Elder, The Betrothal of St Catherine of Alexandria, in: Acta Historiae Artium Scientiarum Hungaricae, vol. XXXIV, Budapest 1989, pp. 81-85, fig. 2, p. 83 (there incorrectly identified as the Dessau painting), and fig. 3, p. 84 (datable as c. 1512/13). With an examination report by Dr Gunnar Heydenreich, 23.8.2008. After the large altarpiece by Lucas Cranach the Elder and his workshop, which Koller Auctions successfully sold last spring, it is particularly pleasing that another masterful work by the unique virtuoso of the German Renaissance, Lucas Cranach the Elder, is now coming up for auction. Recently rediscovered in a private collection, it depicts the mystical marriage of St Catherine surrounded by the Holy Virgins, Barbara, Margaret and Dorothea. They are characterised by their attributes of sword, tower, dragon and a basket filled with flowers. Here, Cranach takes up a theme of the "Virgo inter virgines", the virgin mother of God in the circle of the holy virgins, which has been popular since the 15th century, particularly in the Netherlands. He focusses on the four "virgines capitales" Catherine, Barbara, Margaret and Dorothea. At the same time, he combines this theme with the mystical marriage of St Catherine and embeds it in a dynamic composition of symmetrically resting and diagonally animated lines. It has been reported since the 14th century that the subject of St Catherine of Alexandria, the beautiful and clever daughter of a king, would only dedicate herself to a man if he could match her in all respects. Accordingly, no suitable candidate could be found. A hermit taught her that only Christ could fulfil this requirement. In a first dream encounter, however, he had refused her. It was only after her baptism that Christ is said to have appeared to her in a second dream experience, where he placed a ring on her head as a symbol of marriage. The theme can be found in two other larger panels in the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts (oil on wood, 67.5 × 47.3 cm, Friedländer 1979, cat. no. 86, p. 87 with illus.) and in the Staatliche Kunstsammlung Dessau Schloss Georgium (oil on wood, 119 × 83 cm, Friedländer 1979, cat. no. 85, p. 87 with illus.). Compared to the aforementioned versions in Dessau and Budapest, the composition presented here is rather compact. The landscape design of the background should also be emphasised, which demonstrates the masterly skill of the artist and is characterised by staggered perspectives, a geographical variety of plains and rocky landscapes and meticulously crafted fauna. Stylistically, it is not surprising that Dr Ernst Ullmann dates the panel to the period around 1512-1514 and compares the virginal, delicate figures with Cranach's paintings from the Dresden St Catherine's Altar of 1506. The girlishly lovely faces remind him of the Sippenaltar of 1509 in the Städelsches Kunstinstitut in Frankfurt am Main, as well as the centre panel of the Dessau Fürstenaltar, around 1510, or the panels with the Education of Mary, 1510-12, in Dessau-Wörlitz. According to current art-historical knowledge and art-technological examination, Dr Gunnar Heydenreich confirms that this high-quality mystical marriage was produced around 1520 by Lucas Cranach the Elder and his workshop. The virtuoso underdrawings, which can be seen with the help of IR reflectographs, prove that the master applied the composition directly to the painting ground with his own hand (Fig. 1). In accordance with Wittenberg workshop practice, the painterly design was completed in the workshop with the help of an employee. The appearance of Martin Luther around 1517 and his friendship with Cranach, who served as a pictorial mediator and disseminator of the new revelation of faith, had consequences for the pictorial representation. Accordingly, our depiction was created on the eve of the Reformation and, due to its format and renunciation of theological and dogmatic motifs, was probably commissioned for private devotion. The finely crafted materiality, the virtuoso diversity of the depiction and the coherence of the composition are certainly particularly fascinating. The depiction is convincing due to the intimacy of the sitters and their individuality as well as their masterly pictorial quality. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

PIETER BRUEGHEL the Younger, successor of the 17th cent. (Brussels 1564-1638 Antwerp) Winter scene with skaters. Oil on copper. Inscribed lower right: ii7. 28.6 × 35.1 cm. Provenance: Swiss private ownership, for at least two generations. The composition offered here represents an important phase in the development of Pieter Brueghel the Younger. Brueghel the Younger, who was still a child at the time of his father's death, continued his father's innovative vision in the depiction of winter landscapes - probably his most favoured subject. The composition was taken up by contemporary artists such as Abel Grimmer (1570-1620) and further developed by successive generations of Nordic painters, from Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634) to Aert van der Neer (1603-1677). While Brueghel the Younger painted complete series of the Four Seasons, he also executed individual versions or counterparts of the Seasons according to demand. The Winter Landscape exists in around twelve versions in his own hand, all of which are signed and one of which is dated 1621. These autograph versions are all executed on panels of similar size and proportion, which strongly suggests that the motif was transferred from a model available in Brueghel's workshop. There are certainly variations in the details, for example in the action and the number of figures on the ice. Another 17th century version of this composition by Brueghel can be found in the Musée de Grenoble (inv. no. MG621). This is very similar in detail to the present painting and is also painted on copper.

ABEL GRIMMER, successor of the 17th cent. (around 1570 Antwerp around 1620) Winter scene with ice skaters. Oil on wood. 43.2 × 58 cm. Provenance: - Mak van Way auction, Amsterdam, 23 June 1953, lot 37 (as Abel Grimmer). - Swiss private ownership, for at least two generations. The painting offered here is based on a composition by Abel Grimmer, which depicts the month of January and is located in St John's College, Oxford (inv. no. PG07).

JOHANN KÖNIG (1586 Nuremberg 1632) St George and the dragon. Oil on copper. Signed lower right: Jo: Konig. fc. 14.7 × 21.2 cm. Provenance: - French private collection. - Auction Artcurial, Paris, 22 June 2009, lot 6. - John Mitchell Fine Paintings, London. - European private collection. "St George and the Dragon" by Johann König is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful works by the Nuremberg painter, who achieved great fame in particular for his very finely painted works on copper. The painting offered here is in excellent condition and captivates with its fantastic attention to detail in the painterly execution as well as its luminous colours. Johann König shows us the legend of St George as dragon slayer, which was first recorded in the mid-13th century in the Legenda aurea by the Dominican Jacobus de Voragine, at its dramatic climax. St George is depicted on horseback fighting the dragon. The figure of the advancing white horse, on whose back the saint is attacking with tense muscles and a lance under his arm, forms a contrasting counterpoint - also in terms of colour - to the beast in the lower right-hand corner of the composition. A small flame escaping from the monster's maw emphasises the climax of the depicted saint's legend. The praying Princess Cleodolinda can be seen on the left behind the attacking dragon fighter. Next to her, Johann König shows us the lamb as an allusion to her impending sacrifice, which, however, is thwarted by the heroic deed of the Christian knight. Born in Nuremberg as the son of a goldsmith, Johann König spent several years in Venice from 1606 onwards, where he came into contact with the painting of such great masters as Paolo Veronese (1528-1588) and Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594). The inspiration that König drew from Venetian painting, and in particular from the art of Tintoretto, is impressively reflected in the painting on offer here. A comparison with Tintoretto's painting "St George and the Dragon", which was painted around 1544 and is now in the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg (inv. no. ГЭ-194), reveals clear parallels in composition and tonality. However, while Tintoretto's interpretation of the legend of St George is executed on canvas in a relatively large format and emphasises its narrative character by depicting additional figures, König focuses on the essential protagonists of the saint's legend in his small-format painting. In this way, König is able to masterfully emphasise the drama of the depicted story, particularly by placing the Christian knight between the princess and the dragon, thus creating a unique tension in the painting. In addition to the impressions König was able to gather in Venice, the present painting also reflects the artistic impulses he received during his stay in Rome from 1610 to 1614. In Rome, König socialised with Johann Rottenhammer (1564-1625) and Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610), among others, who had a decisive influence on König's painterly style. König must have come into contact with Elsheimer's painting in Rome in particular, as his strong influence on the painterly execution of the landscapes and the use of light in König's paintings is unmistakable - also in our painting. These art-historical aspects are among the reasons why the painting offered here can be dated to Johann König's Roman period, which is also supported by Dr Gode Krämer, who considers this painting to be one of König's most important works. An additional special feature of our painting is the filigree execution on a copper plate. Around 1600, copper was not only one of the most precious supports for painting, but also allowed artists to paint with enormous finesse and also brought out the colours of the paintings particularly brightly. The advantages of copper as a medium are also clearly visible in König's "Saint George and the Dragon": the nature of the material enables König to create a wonderfully detailed painting with the finest brushstrokes, which has a vivid radiance due to its powerful dynamism and colourfulness. At the same time, the compact format of our copper painting allows for a very unique form of art reception: The filigree masterpiece invites you to pick it up and admire it up close. If you look closely, you can not only marvel at the virtuosity of the figures, the lively design of the landscape and the fantastic rendering of the dragon scales, you can also discover König's precise signature at the bottom right of the painting on the stone (Fig. 1, detail). The legend of St George with the dragon is a widespread and highly valued motif in art history. Paintings of the dragon slayer can be found not only in Tintoretto's work, as already mentioned, but also in the works of other masters such as Paolo Uccello (1397-1475), Giovanni Bellini (c. 1430-1516) and Raphael (1483-1520). The painting by Johann König being auctioned here seamlessly joins the ranks of these virtuoso masters' depictions of dragon slayers and vividly symbolises the timeless idea of the triumph of good over evil. This object marked with * (asterisk) is fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

GONZALES COQUES (1614 Antwerp 1684) Allegory of taste. Oil on wood. 27.8 × 21.5 cm. Provenance: - Collection Mr J. van Duijsendijk, Scheveningen, 1962. - Art dealer St Lucas, The Hague, 1963. - Swiss private ownership, for at least two generations. Exhibition: Delft 1963, 15e Oude Kunst- en Antiekbeurs, 20 June - 13 July 1963, Museum Het Prinsenhof, Delft. Literature: Marion Lisken-Pruss: Gonzales Coques (1614-1684). The little van Dyck, Turnhout 2013, p. 282, no. U20. The painting was probably part of a series of the seven deadly sins, of which the Allegory of Wrath still survives (see Lisken-Pruss 2013, no. 47, p. 253). Dr Marion Lisken-Pruss, who published the painting in 2013 as an uncertain attribution on the basis of a poor image, has now confirmed its authenticity after examining a photograph, for which we thank her.

PIETER SCHOUBROECK (Hessheim before 1570-around 1607 Frankenthal) Fire in a Flemish town. Oil on copper. 15.7 × 22 cm. Provenance: - Collection of the writer Bogomil Rainov (1919-2007). - Art trade, Bulgaria. - European collection. Dr Alexander Wied confirms the authenticity on the basis of a photograph, for which we thank him. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

JAN BRUEGHEL the Elder, successor of the 17th cent. (Brussels 1568-1625 Antwerp) River landscape with moated castle, in the background the discovery of Moses. Oil on copper. 20.2 × 28.9 cm. Provenance: Swiss private ownership, for several generations. The painting offered here is probably by a 17th century northern successor of Jan Brueghel the Elder, as the Dutch flag on the boat in the foreground suggests. What is remarkable about this painting on copper is the finely elaborated plant life and the wealth of detail in the architecture, the brilliance of the colours of which is particularly emphasised by the precious support. Despite their miniature-like size, the various staffages of figures are painted with great individuality and detail. Dr Luuk Pijl points out on the basis of a photograph that it can be compared stylistically with works by Mattheus Molanus (1591-1645) or could possibly be by Christoffel van der Berghe (1590-1645), for which we thank him.

ADRIAEN VAN STALBEMT (1580 Antwerp 1662) Diana and her nymphs bathing. Circa 1610-20. Oil on wood. 54.5 × 74.5 cm. Provenance: - Henry Goudet Collection, Geneva (as Jan Brueghel the Elder). - Auction Sotheby's, London, 30.10.1996, lot 109. - Auction Sotheby's, London, 16.4.1997, lot 29. - Auction Christie's, Amsterdam, 6 May 1998, lot 104. - European collection. Literature: Klaus Ertz and Christa Nitze-Ertz: Adriaen van Stalbemt (1580-1662). Critical catalogue of the paintings, Lingen 2018, cat. no. 216, p. 340. The depiction of Diana and her nymphs offered here is from Adriaen van Stalbemt's early work, when he was influenced by artists such as Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), Abraham Govaerts (1589-1626) and Joos de Momper (1564-1635). Stalbemt is known for his landscapes with religious-mythological and allegorical scenes. His family had to emigrate to Holland for religious reasons, but returned to Antwerp around 1609, where Stalbemt became a master in 1610. His earliest training was under the Mannerist influence of the north of the Netherlands. In Antwerp, he was inspired above all by his great role model, Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625), who worked a lot with the young Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) and Hendrik van Balen (1575-1632). The painting offered here is archived in the RKD, The Hague, as an autograph work by Adriaen van Stalbemt. This object marked with * (asterisk) is fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

HERCULES PIETERSZ. SEGERS (Haarlem c. 1589-c. 1640 The Hague) Forest path. 1618-20. Oil on canvas on wood. 16 × 22.4 cm. Provenance: - Probably collection of the governor Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau (1584-1647) and Amalie zu Solms-Braunfels (1602-1675), 1632. - Probably from the collection of Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg (1620-1688). - Collection of Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg / Frederick I, King of Prussia (1657-1713), at least from 1699 to 1713 (labelled Oranienburg Palace 1709 on verso). - Collection of Frederick William I (1688-1740), Elector of Brandenburg and King of Prussia, 1713 to 1740. - Collection of Frederick II the Great (1712-1786), King of Prussia, from 1740. - Collection of August Wilhelm of Prussia (1722-1758), from 1742-43. - Left Oranienburg Palace as part of a group of 250 paintings, between 1745 and 1800. - Christian Ludwig Stieglitz Collection (1756-1836). - By inheritance, collection of his son, Christian Ludwig Stieglitz (1803-1854), Dresden. - Auction Dresden, 2 May 1838, without lot number (sold for 1 Thaler, 7 Groschen to Johan Christian Dahl). - Collection of the painter Johan Christian Claussen Dahl (1788-1857), Dresden, 1838-1839 (with handwritten label on verso). - Through the mediation of H. T. Heftye (Dahl's agent) to Andreas Schram Olsen (1791-1845), Larvik, Norway, 18 March 1839. - Collection of Johan Ludwig Malthe (1807-1896), from December 1845. - Collection of his nephew, Alexander Ludwig Normann Malthe (1845-1928), Kristiana (Oslo) and Eidsvoll, Akerhus. - Collection of his niece, Alfhilde Malthe (1876-1961), Lesja, Oppland. - Estate sale Alfhilde Malthe, Lesja (Bjorkhaug), 20 August 1962, without lot number (sold to the auctioneer Ole Fagersand). - Collection Ole Fagersand (1909-2002), "Lennsmann" from Dombas, Norway, from 1962. - By inheritance, private collection, until 2003. - Auction Blomqvist, Oslo, collection of heirs of Ole Fagersand and others, 16 December 2003, lot 1212 (as European school of the 19th/20th century). - Acquired at the above auction, private collection, Norway, since 2003. Exhibition: Amsterdam 2016/2017, Hercules Segers, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 7 Oct 2016-8 Jan 2017, no. P1. Literature: - Inventory Oranienburg, 1699, p. 594, no. 207 ("Eine Landschaft durch einen Waldt im schwartzen Rahm"). - Inventory of Oranienburg, 1743 ("A landscape, through a forest, in black cream, from Segers"). - Huigen Leeflang and Pieter Roelofs (eds.): Hercules Segers: Painter, Etcher, exhib. cat. Amsterdam 2016, pp. 246-251, no. P1 (also mentioned on pp. 13, 57, 99, 113, 125, 144, figs. 167 and 168, pp. 145, 214-215, 253, 261, 271, 279 and 337). - Emanuel von Baeyer: Hercules Segers. Painter, Printmaker, Experimentalist, Art Dealer. Woodland Path, Cologne 2022. The painting offered here represents a significant addition to the small oeuvre of oil paintings by the important Flemish-born artist of the Golden Age, Hercules Segers, which was presented to the public for the first time as part of the major Segers retrospective in 2016/2017. This depiction of a winding forest path is the only surviving forest landscape by Segers from a large number of paintings by him described in old sources. The influence of the landscape painter Gillis van Coninxloo (1544-1607) was of great importance in shaping the mysterious atmosphere that pervades the work of his most important pupil Segers. The work, published for the first time as part of a major retrospective in 2017, has an important provenance. Documented in several early inventories, its recent rediscovery in a Norwegian private collection is the result of art-historical detective work and fortunate circumstances. The work, which was rediscovered 20 years ago, boasts a provenance sequence that is probably the best of all fully accepted paintings by Segers. Segers' authorship is evident not only from the technique used and the similarity to his prints, but also from the 17th century inscription of his name on the back of the panel and his mention in old inventories. Technical and stylistic features On a canvas barely larger than an A5 format, Segers painted a winding sandy path with cart tracks that disappears between trees with intertwined branches and twigs in a dense forest. Rays of sunlight penetrate the dense canopy of leaves. A small house on the left, its roof barely visible through the foliage, marks the only trace of civilisation in this natural idyll. This forest scene was not painted from nature, but was the product of the artist's imagination. As noted in the 2016/2017 exhibition catalogue (see literature), Segers made a preparatory underpainting consisting of white pigment dots that roughly outline the path in the picture and which was applied directly to the painting support, as in his works in the LWL-Museum für Kunst und Kultur in Münster (inv.no. 1821LG), in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. no. SK-A-3120) and in the Mauritshuis in The Hague (inv. no. 1033, see exhib. cat. 2016/2017, nos. P6-P8). He then painted the scene wet-on-wet in the colours green, brown, ochre, black and white, accentuating it here and there with lead white or lead-tin yellow. This method of outlining is unique to Segers and certainly proves the authorship of the painting. No other artist is known to have used this specific technique. The use of a canvas as the primary painting support can be found in earlier works (exhib. cat. 2016/2017, no. P2-P6). Shortly after its creation, the work was mounted on an oak panel, probably for reinforcement, which, according to a dendrochronological report by Prof. Dr Peter Klein dated 17 April 2016, comes from a tree felled around 1611-21. Taking into account the usual drying process, it was probably used as a support from 1623. Segers also used this method in a signed landscape with a lake, which is in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (inv. no. 2383, see exhib. cat. 2016/2017, no. P2). Comparable compositions with a lowered horizon, a path leading into the unknown, twisted, winding trees and patches of sunlight falling through a dense forest can be found in various engravings by Segers, for example in a drypoint etching in the British Museum in London (inv. no. S.5532, see exhib. cat. HB37). However, no other painted, pure forest landscape by Seger has survived today, which makes this work a particular rarity. These types of woodland landscapes were also considered much more innovative and modern than valley and panoramic landscapes in his day, and it seems that Segers initially trialled this new type in prints. Due to its similarity to the works mentioned above, the forest landscape offered here can be dated to around 1618-20. A highly regarded artist The art historians Egbert Haverkamp-Begemann and Jaap van der Veen have conducted extensive research into the life of the artist Hercules Segers. It is now known that Segers was born in Haarlem in 1589 or 1590 to Protestant parents who had fled from Ghent. The family later moved to Amsterdam, where Segers was probably apprenticed to the landscape painter Gillis van Coninxloo, who had also fled from Flanders. In Coninxloo's workshop, Segers would have been exposed to the formative influence of the art known to have been collected by his master, including paintings by Joachim Patinir (1483-1524) and Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525-1569) - two artists who, together with Coninxloo himself, provided decisive impulses in the development of landscape painting into a genre in its own right. In an early account of his life by Rembrandt's pupil Samuel van Hoogstraten (1627-1678), Segers is portrayed as a misunderstood artist: far ahead of his time, he was rejected during his lifetime and his brilliance was only recognised after his death. This version of the artist's life, which corresponds to the literary stereotype of the poor, under-appreciated genius, is refuted by documentary evidence which suggests that Segers was highly regarded by his colleagues. In fact, Rembrandt (1606-1669) owned eight of his paintings. His purchase of a large house on the Lindengracht in Amsterdam in 1619 proves that his art brought him considerable wealth, and the purchase of two Segers landscapes by Frederick Hendrik and Amalia van Solms in the early 1630s proves that he was equally well received by the nobility. Segers nevertheless ran into financial difficulties and was forced to sell his house in Amsterdam in 1630, from where he moved to Utrecht for a short time and then to The Hague, where he is said to have lived for the last time. Hercules Segers was one of the most prolific artistic minds of his time and created landscapes of astonishing originality. Using a range of unusual techniques, he etched colourful landscapes, seascapes and biblical scenes. His small oeuvre comprises 182 prints, which vary greatly in composition, and 19 paintings. In his prints, the artist demonstrates great experimental boldness, in particular a printing method he developed in which he individually recoloured and partially altered each copy, making each one unique. Segers, who is now recognised as the most innovative graphic artist of the first wave of the Dutch Golden Age and one of the most original graphic artists of all time, saw himself as a painter first and foremost. As has recently been established, his prints were in most cases created after his oil paintings, which in turn formed the basis for his radical, highly innovative etchings. A complete provenance The exceptionally well-documented provenance of the painting can be traced back to the 17th century. The label on the back of the panel provides a wealth of information about the painting's aristocratic provenance: the words "Oranienbourg / Im monath Septbr / 1709" are written in elegant script around the stamped coat of arms of Frederick III, Elector of Brandenburg, later King Frederick I of Prussia. Similar inscriptions in black or red ink with the same coat of arms can also be found on other paintings from the electoral collection. They were applied in autumn 1709 to paintings that were inventoried in Oranienburg Palace, 30 km north of Berlin (see H. Sander: Schloss Oranienburg. Ein Inventar aus dem Jahre 1743, Berlin/Brandenburg 2001, p. 29). The name "...les Segers" is written in black under the label, which indicates that Hercules Segers was known as the creator of this forest scene from at least 1709. The inventory from 1709 has not survived today, but the painting is already listed in the inventory from 1699 as "207. A landscape through a forest in a black frame" (the number "207" at the bottom left of the canvas, which was glazed over during restoration in 2016, refers to this inventory) and in the one from 1743 as "A country scene, through a forest, in a black frame, by Segers". At the time, the painting hung in the King of Prussia's antechamber, as indicated by the note "1743 R. No:8" refers to this. Both inventories mention a second forest landscape by Segers, which also hung in the palace from the seventeenth century (probably as a counterpart) and is now lost. It is not known for certain when exactly the painting came to Oranienburg. It is assumed that Jan Ruijscher (1625-1675), court painter to the Elector of Brandenburg and a successor to Seger, who was nicknamed "the young Hercules", played a role in the acquisition. This would mean that both forest scenes were acquired a generation earlier, around 1657-62, by Frederick's father, Frederick William (1620-1688), the Great Elector. However, it is equally likely that the Amsterdam-based dealer Johannes de Renialme (1600-1657) played a role in the transaction. In a letter dated 19 August 1650, he offered Frederick William a rare landscape by Segers in the same format as a beach scene by Jan Porcellis (1582-1632), which was already in Frederick's collection (see John Michael Montias: Art at Auction in 17th-century Amsterdam, Amsterdam 2002, p. 137). Frederick William was married to Countess Louise Henriette of Nassau (1627-1667), daughter of Frederick Henry of Orange-Nassau, and Amalie zu Solms-Braunfels (1602-1675), and spent the years 1634 to 1638 in the Netherlands, where he developed his taste for art at court in The Hague (see Claudia Sommer: Niederländische Einflüsse auf die Landeskultivierung und Kunstentfaltung in Brandenburg von 1640 bis 1740, in: exhib. cat. Onder den Oranje boom: Dutch art and culture in the 17th and 18th centuries at German princely courts, 18.4. -18.7.1999, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum, Krefeld / Schloss Oranienburg, Oranienburg / Palast Het Loo, Appeldoorn, Munich 1999, catalogue volume, p. 205). There he may have had the opportunity to admire the two landscapes by Hercules Segers mentioned in the 1632 inventory of the Prince of Orange's possessions ("...twee stucken schilderiën, sijnde landtschappen, deur Hercules Zegers gemaeckt." see S. W. A. Drossaers and Th. H. Lunsingh Scheurleer: Inventarissen van de inboedels in de verblijven van de Oranjes en daarmede gelijk te stellen stukken (1567-1795), 's-Gravenhaage 1974, vol. I, p. 230) and may have received it in 1646 through his marriage to Princess Louise Henriette of Orange-Nassau (1627-1667). A final possibility is that Frederick William acquired the works directly from Segers or his circle. After several generations of aristocratic ownership, the painting left the palace when the Electoral Collection was dissolved between 1743 and 1800. A short time later, it entered the collection of the Leipzig master builder and councillor Christian Ludwig Stieglitz (1756-1836) and his son of the same name, Christian Ludwig Stieglitz (1803-1854), who worked as a lawyer and historian in Dresden. In 1838, the painting was acquired by the Norwegian landscape painter Johan Christian Dahl (1788-1857) at an auction in Dresden (see National Library Oslo, Johan Christian Dahl, edition book (ms.), entry dated 2 May 1838 ("A landscape without frame allegedly by Segers"). At this point, the attribution to Hercules Segers was no longer known. In fact, Dahl mistakenly noted an attribution to the Antwerp flower painter Daniel Seghers (1590-1661) on a label on the reverse. Dahl must have been particularly impressed by Segers' painting technique and the unusually dense rendering of the landscape for the early 17th century. He was particularly interested in seventeenth-century Dutch landscape painting and in his early years made copies after Jacob van Ruisdael (1628-1682), whose influence is clearly visible in his later work. According to Dahl's diary, his agent, H. T. Heftye, sold the painting to Andreas Schram Olsen (1791-1845) in Larvik, Norway, around 1839. After his death in 1845, the painting became the property of the collector Johan Ludwig Malthe (1807-1896), probably as one of five paintings that Malthe acquired either at Schram Olsen's estate auction in Kristiana (Oslo) in December 1845 or directly from the auctioneer (see exhib. cat. 2016/2017, footnote 7). His nephew, the doctor and art collector Alexander Ludwig Normann Malthe (1845-1928) and his niece Alfhilde Malthe (1876-1961) subsequently inherited the painting. Through their estate auction, the painting came into the possession of the auctioneer Ole Fagersand (1909-2002) and his descendants in 1962. A Norwegian private collector acquired the painting in 2003 at the estate auction of Ole Fagersand's heirs, where the painting was mistakenly offered as a 19th/20th century European school. There, the painting was still adorned with Johan Christian Dahl's favoured frame with characteristic ornamentation, which became known as the Dahl frame. In 2007, a series of technological analyses and art historical research was commissioned, which led to the rediscovery of the painting's authorship and ultimately to its inclusion in the major retrospective of the artist Hercules Segers at the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam in 2016/2017. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will receive a refund of the VAT.

JAN BRUEGHEL the Younger and ANDRIES SNELLINCK (1601 Antwerp 1678) (1587 Antwerp 1653) Diana at the hunt. Circa 1627-28. Oil on copper. 70.3 × 87.7 cm. Expertise: Dr Ursula Härting, 17.1.2024. Provenance: - Drouot auction, Paris, 5 Dec. 1988, lot 82 (attributed to Jan Brueghel the Younger and Hendrik van Balen). - Swiss private ownership. The depiction of Diana, goddess of the hunt, and her nymphs offered here was created in accordance with the Antwerp painting tradition as a collaboration between several painters, presumably around 1627-1628. Andries Snellinck painted the landscape and Jan Brueghel some of the animals, such as a few dogs and the stretch of wild boar, stag and broken deer, which are typical and recurring motifs in Jan's oeuvre and are executed here with particularly high quality. Other animals and the figures are very probably by Antoni Lemens (Freemaster since 1627), who worked simultaneously in the workshop of Hendrik van Balen (1575-1632) and Jan Brueghel the Younger from 1628-29. With van Balen, Lemens must have already become familiar with several versions of Diana with the Hunt, including those that Balen painted with Jan the Younger (see Bettina Werche: Hendrik van Balen (1575-1632). Ein Antwerpener Kabinettbildmaler der Rubenszeit, Turnhout 2004, vol. II, pp. 372-375). Based on a photograph, Dr Bert Schepers assumes that the figures are by Abraham Willemsen (1605-1672). In 1627-28, Jan Brueghel the Younger received six paintings by his father Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) with the theme of Diana after the Hunt, which served as models for his own versions (see Ursula Härting: Der Buchhalterische Jan Brueghel d. J. und sein Journal, p. 61, in: A. Tacke (ed.): Der Künstler als Buchhalter, Petersburg 2024, pp. 53-66). Snellinck belonged to the Guild of St Luke, was well acquainted with Antwerp art dealers and worked as a painter, in particular for the firm of the Antwerp painter and merchant couple Matthijs Musson (1598-1678) and Maria Fourmenois (?-1693), from whom he received copper painting supports with commissions for specified subjects. A Diana after the Hunt was included in the inventory of the estate of Andries Snellinck's widow in 1657 (no. 129; see Katlijne van der Stighelen: De (atelier-)bedrijvigheid van Andries Snellinck en Co, p. 335, in: Jaarboek Antwerpen 1989, pp. 330-341). A comparable version by Snellinck on copper (66.6 × 92.5 cm) was last exhibited in 1965 (Brussels 1965, De Eeuw van Rubens, Koninklijke Musea voor schone kunsten van België, 15 Oct. - 12 Dec. 1965, no. 260).

JAN BRUEGHEL the Younger (1601 Antwerp 1678) Farmhouses by a stream. Oil on copper. 18.5 × 25.8 cm. Expertise: Dr Klaus Ertz, 12.9.1995 (copy available). Provenance: - Private collection, Germany. - Auction Koller, Zurich, 18 March 2008, lot 3045. - European private collection. After examining the original, Dr Klaus Ertz identified this atmospheric brook landscape with farmhouses as an autograph work by Jan Brueghel the Younger and dated it to around 1630. The radiant colour palette, the light falling from the top right and reflected in the water and the richly detailed birds and figures underline the high-quality execution of the painting on offer here. Jan Brueghel the Younger, who took over his father Jan the Elder's studio after his death (1568-1625), initially continued to work in his unmistakable style and in the 1630s developed a broader, more painterly style, such as in the "Dorfgracht mit einspännigem Fuhrwerk" from the National Museum in Stockholm (inv. no. 678, see Klaus Err.No. 678, see Klaus Ertz: Jan Brueghel the Younger (1601-1678), Freren 1984, cat. no. 40, ft. 9), which, like the painting offered here, was painted around 1630. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

VICTOR WOLFVOET the Younger (1612 Antwerp 1652) Achilles and the Daughters of Leukymedes. Oil on wood. Inscribed verso: Sketch by Rubens given to Emily Schmäck in London by Mr Louis Lemmé of A...t...f. 48.5 × 64 cm. Provenance: - Louis Lemmé Collection (labelled on verso). - Emily Schmäck Collection, London (labelled verso). - European private collection. Two works by the Antwerp painter Victor Wolfvoet the Younger are offered in this auction, presenting his characteristic painting style in a virtuoso manner. Victor Wolfvoet the Younger, who was probably apprenticed to Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), was active both as a painter and as an art dealer. He adopted numerous depictions by his prominent contemporaries, including Anthonis van Dyck (1599-1641) and Peter Paul Rubens, and lent them his own unique style of painting. In the composition presented here, Wolfvoet draws on a prototype by Anthonis van Dyck, which is in the Kunstsammlungen Graf von Schönborn, Schloss Weissenstein in Pommersfelden (inv. no. 43, see Susan J. Barnes / Nora De Poorter, et al. 2004: Van Dyck. A Complete catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven / London 2004, cat. no. III.58). Van Dyck's counterpart "Amarillis and Mirtillo" (Kunstsammlungen Graf von Schönborn, Schloss Weissenstein in Pommersfelden, inv. no. 43, see Susan J. Barnes / Nora De Poorter, et al. 2004: Van Dyck. A Complete catalogue of the Paintings, New Haven / London 2004, cat. no. III.60) repeated Victor Wolfvoet's characteristic painting style. Another version of the composition by Victor Wolfvoet the Younger shown here, painted on copper, can be found in the Museum Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden in Leerdam (see Bert Schepers and Gregory Martin: Two Antwerp cabinets decorated by Victor Wolfvoet II, in: The Burlington Magazine, vol. 158, no. 1363, October 2016, p. 801) and documents the great demand for these depictions in the first half of the 17th century. Dr Bert Schepers confirms the authenticity on the basis of a photograph, for which we thank him. See also catalogue entry for lot 3034. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

JOOS DE MOMPER the Younger (1564 Antwerp 1635) Mountainous forest landscape with three hunters. Oil on wood. 54 × 83.2 cm. Expert report: Dr Klaus Ertz, 4.3.2021. Provenance: - Auction Hampel, Munich, 25 March 2021, lot 611. - European collection. In his expertise, Dr Klaus Ertz dates the painting offered here to around 1610-1620 and points out that the figures were painted by Julian Teniers (1572-1615), the half-brother of David Teniers the Elder (1582-1649). Dr Ertz also assumes that Momper worked with Julian Teniers on the Tower of Babel in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Belgique in Brussels (inv. no. 8032). These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

JAN VAN KESSEL the Elder (1626 Antwerp 1679) Counterparts: Bouquets of flowers with roses, anemones and carnations. Oil on copper. Each 10 × 7 cm. Provenance: - Private collection, Netherlands. - Art dealer P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1985. - Auction Christie's, Amsterdam, 25/11/2014, lot 112. - European collection. Exhibition: Delft 1985, XXXVII Oude Kunst- en Antiekbeurs, illus. in cat. S. 96. Jan van Kessel was the son of Hieronymus van Kessel (1578-1636) and Paschasia Brueghel, the daughter of Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625). He was active in Antwerp and became a member of the St Luke's Guild there in 1645. He continued the tradition of his grandfather and was also influenced by Daniël Seghers (1590-1661). Van Kessel painted garlands and bouquets, but he is best known for his small, jewel-like images of insects or shells, often painted on copper, with vivid colours and great attention to detail, such as the pair of paintings offered here. Dr Fred G. Meijer confirmed their authenticity in 2014 after inspecting the originals. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

NICOLAES PIETERSZ. BERCHEM (Haarlem 1620-1683 Amsterdam) Mediterranean landscape at sunset with shepherds and ruins. Oil on canvas. Signed lower left: Berchem f. 73.1 × 99.7 cm. Provenance: - Lucas Merens Collection (1698-1776), mayor of Hoorn and director of the Dutch East India Company. - Auction Ploos van Amstel and Jan Yver, Amsterdam, 15.4.1778, lot 175a. - Collection Cornelis Ploos van Amstel (1726-1798), Amsterdam. - Collection J. T. Batt, New Hall, Salisbury, 1834. - By inheritance or sale in New Hall to Major-General Buckley, 1853. - Probably by inheritance to Alfred Buckley (1829-1900), 1883. - Christie's auction, London, 4 May 1901, lot 24. - Art dealer P. & D. Colnaghi, London. - Auction Christie's, London, 18 March 1955, lot 149. - Art dealer Hans Cramer, The Hague, until 1964. - Collection A. Sutter, Mannheim, from 1965 until after 1978. - German private collection, acquired shortly after 1978 and certainly owned until 1994. - Auction Sotheby's, London, 7.12.2005, lot 13. - European private collection. Exhibitions: - London 1853, British Institution, Pictures by Italian, Spanish, Flemish, Dutch French and English Masters, with which the proprietors have favoured the institution, June 1853, no. 75 (loan from Major-General Buckley). - London 1883, Royal Academy, Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters and by deceased masters of the Brithish School; including a special selection from the works of John Linnell and Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1 Jan. - 10 Mar. 1883, no. 239 (loan from A. Buckley). - Utrecht 1965, Nederlands 17 eeuwse Italianiserende Landschapschilders, Centraalmuseum, 10.3-30.5.1965, no. 85. - Madrid 1994, The Golden Age of Dutch Landscape Painting, Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, 11 November-12 February 1994, no. 9. - London 2002, Inspired by Italy. Dutch landscape painting 1600-1700, Dulwich Picture Gallery, 22 May-26 August 2002, no. 31. - Haarlem/Schwerin/Zurich 2006/2007, Nicolaes Berchem. In the Light of Italy, Frans Hals Museum, 16.12.2006-15.4.2007 / Schwerin, Staatliches Museum, 27.4.-19.8.2007 / Kunsthaus Zürich, 1.9.-2.12.2007, no. 31. - Haarlem 2008/2009, De Gouden eeuw begint in Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, 11 October 2008-1 February 2009. Literature: - John Smith: A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch, Flemish, and French Painters, London 1834, vol. V, p. 81, no. 252. - Algernon Graves: A Century of Loan Exhibitions 1813-1912, London 1913, vol. I, pp. 60 and 62. - Cornelis Hofstede de Groot: Descriptive and Critical Catalogue of Works, Esslingen/Paris 1926, vol. IX, p. 179, no. 449. - Notable Works of Art now on the Market, in: The Burlington Magazine, June 1957, vol. XCIX, no. 651, ill. pl. IX. - Eckhard Schaar: Studies on Nicolaes Berchem, dissertation, Cologne 1958, p. 69. - Albert Blankert: Nederlandse 17e Eeuwse Italianiserende Landschapschilders, Soest 1978, pp. 162-63, no. 83, ill. pl. 85. - Peter Sutton, in: exhib. cat. The Golden Age of Dutch Landscape Painting, Madrid 1994, p. 80, no. 83 (with illus.). - Laurie Harwood, in: exhib. cat. Inspired by Italy. Dutch landscape painting 1600-1700, London 2002, p. 140, no. 31, with illus. p. 141. - Pieter Biesboer and Luuk Pijl, in: Pieter Biesboer (ed.), Nicolaes Berchem. In the Light of Italy, exhib. cat. Haarlem / Schwerin / Zurich, Haarlem 2006, pp. 24, 140-41, no. 31, with ill. p. 65. - Pieter Biesboer: De Gouden eeuw begint in Haarlem, exhib. cat. Haarlem 2008, pp. 70-71 and 177, fig. 45. - Pieter Biesboer: Frans Hals and Haarlem's Masters of the Golden Age, exhib. cat., Munich 2008, pp. 70-71, ill. p. 70, fig. 45. Paradoxically, Nicolaes Berchem, the master of Italian landscapes with rustic, rural figural staffages, probably never travelled to Italy, which seems almost incomprehensible in view of the authentic Mediterranean flair conveyed in this painting. The Italianate style of the landscapes, as painted by Berchem from the 1640s onwards, was probably strongly influenced by the two artists Jan Both (around 1615-1652) and Jan Asselijn (1610-1652). Berchem adopted the golden light after the southern midday heat in particular from the two aforementioned painters, but largely surpassed them in the loose and lively depiction of the figures and the livestock. A nice comparison can be found in the work by Jan Asselijn entitled "Muleteers beside an Italian Ruin", which is on display in the Rijksmuseum (inv. no. SK-C-89). Berchem developed his atmospheric lighting to his characteristic perfection, creating a dramatic tension between light and shadow in the present painting. The maturity of the artist, which is reflected in the composition and atmosphere, is also evident in Pieter Biesboer's dating of the work to the period between 1655 and 1660. Although he devoted himself to various genres during his creative phase, his landscapes in the Italian style brought him the greatest fame, enabling him to finance a feudal life in Amsterdam through his painting. Like many Dutch painters who were enthusiastic about Italy, Nicolaes Berchem integrated ancient Roman ruins into his works, which, as in our picture, emphasise the transfiguration and idealisation of Italian history. The hidden Dutch features in the landscape design merge with the Roman buildings and result in a monumental recreation, which is, however, contrasted by the simplicity of the rural subject and gains an appealing rustic character. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

VICTOR WOLFVOET the Younger (1612 Antwerp 1652) The Judgement of Solomon. Oil on copper. 27.5 × 37 cm. Provenance: - Auction Drouot-Richelieu, Audap-Picard-Solanet & Associés, Paris, 17 Dec. 1997, lot 36 (as Balthasar Beschey). - Auction Drouot-Richelieu, Paris, 16 June 2000, lot 46 (as Balthasar Beschey). - Swiss private collection. The second painting by Victor Wolfvoet the Younger in this auction goes back to a depiction by Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), his teacher, from around 1615-17, which hung in Brussels City Hall until it was destroyed in the French bombardment of 1695. A large-format second version of this composition on canvas by Peter Paul Rubens is kept in the Royal Gallery in Copenhagen (inv. no. KMSsp185, c. 1618-1620, oil on canvas, 233 × 300 cm). We would like to thank Dr Bert Schepers for confirming the authenticity of the painting on the basis of a photograph and for his scientific support. See also catalogue entry for lot 3030.

FRANS FRANCKEN the Younger and workshop (1581 Antwerp 1642) The Preaching of John the Baptist. Oil on wood. Signed lower right: D(i) ffranck IN [..] f. 30 × 38.7 cm. Expertise: Dr Ursula Härting, 31.1.2024. Provenance: - Unknown auction, probably France (labelled on verso). - European private collection, for four generations. Dr Ursula Härting confirms the authorship of Frans Francken the Younger after examining the original, for which we thank her. She surmises that the final reworking of the figure staffage in the background was the work of an employee in the extremely productive Antwerp workshop of Frans Francken the Younger. His sons Frans III (1607-1667), Ambrosius III (1614-1662) and Hieronymus III (1611-1661) could be responsible for this. Härting assumes that it was created around 1620. St John the Baptist is shown here in the centre, standing upright, with a slender figure, preaching the revelation of the Christian faith to a multifaceted audience. The different personalities, which are expressively depicted through physiognomic characteristics and a variety of details in the garments, are remarkable. A thin ray of light running diagonally from the trees from top left to bottom right guides the viewer's gaze into the distance, where the baptism is being performed by a river in front of a city silhouette. The nobly dressed noblewoman in the foreground, seated on a stone with a small child leaning against her, may be understood as a repoussoir motif that invites the viewer into the scene. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

PIETER CLAESZ. AND ROELOF KOETS the Elder (Berghem c. 1597-1660 Haarlem) (1592 Haarlem 1655) Still life with Roman, silver cup, tazza, Chinese bowl, lemon, bread roll and grapes. Around 1650. Oil on wood. Monogrammed and dated on the rim of the lemon dish: PC 16(50?) and on the vine leaf lower right: RKoets. 75 × 105 cm. Expertise: Dr Martina Brunner-Bulst, 19.4.2010. Provenance: In German family ownership for over 150 years. Literature: Martina Brunner-Bulst: Testimony to a friendship. The collaboration between Pieter Claesz. and Roelof Koets, fig. 7, p. 64, in: Chales Dumas / Rudi Ekkart / Carla van de Puttelaar (eds.): Connoisseurship. Essays in Honour of Fred G. Meijer, Leiden 2000, pp. 60-67. This still life with a Roman, silver cup, tazza, Chinese porcelain bowl, lemon, bread roll and grapes, from a long-standing private collection and offered for sale for the first time in over a century, is a characteristic example of the collaboration between the Haarlem painter Pieter Claesz and the fruit painter Roelof Koets, who enlivens the right-hand side of the panel with lush vine leaves and grapes. Next to a tall, wine-filled Roman glass on a table is a large silver cup in which the surrounding objects are reflected as if in a distorting mirror. To the right of it, a tall pass glass with golden-brown, white foaming beer rises above a silver-drilled tazza filled with red wine. This sequence of high, low, horizontal and upright vessels creates an exciting compositional balance. At the same time, the bread, lemon and beer harmonise in colour with the golden-brown vines and grapes on the right-hand side of the painting. While today's viewers would primarily expect a festive meal in this depiction, contemporary viewers would have understood the moral allusions, such as the wine and bread with their reference to the sacrament and the admonition to realise the transience of earthly life and possessions, in addition to the display of bourgeois prosperity. Koets, who painted a total of eleven paintings with Claesz, specialised in fruit painting and was a friend of Pieter Claesz (see Martina Brunner-Bulst: Pieter Claesz. Der Hauptmeister des Haarlemer Stillebens im 17. Jahrhundert, Lingen 2004, pp. 180-182). The increasing demand in the mid-17th century for large-format, Flemish-style still lifes may have prompted Pieter Claesz, who specialised in small cabinet paintings, to join forces with Roelof Koets. A prime example of this collaboration is the still life with Romans and Berkemeyer, apples, lush vine leaves and grapes, dated 1644 and signed by both artists, which is in the Szepmuveszeti Muzeum in Budapest (inv. no. 53.478, see ibid., cat. no. 136, ill. p. 91). The painting offered here is the second known work signed by both painters. The double signature proves that both artists regarded themselves as equal authors. Other works in which one of the two artists executed a larger part are signed by only one of them. The banquet depiction offered here, which can be dated to around 1650, is particularly impressive due to its large format and the special harmony in the joint design, as Martina Brunner-Bulst emphasises in her expert opinion. The years 1640 to 1650 were among the most productive for the painter Pieter Claesz, producing numerous large-format "banquetjes" and also smaller still lifes, such as a sumptuous oyster banquet with a large Roman and a silver salt stand from 1643, which is in the Saint Louis Art Museum (inv. no. 141:1922, see ibid., cat. no. 117, p. 272, colour illus. p. 81). These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

SALOMON VAN RUYSDAEL (Naarden c. 1600-1670 Haarlem) River landscape with a ferry. 1649. Oil on wood. Signed and dated lower centre: S. VRuysdael. 1649. 60.4 × 90.8 cm. Provenance: - Collection Frederick Arthur Heygate Lambert (1857-1929), before 1926. - Auction Sotheby's, London, Heygate Lambert Collection, 21.4.1926, lot 66. - Douwes art dealers, Amsterdam, 1926. - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin, 1938. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By succession, European private collection. Literature: Wolfgang Stechow: Salomon van Ruysdael, Berlin 1975, p. 124, no. 360. The painting offered here is a characteristic example of Ruysdael's style in the late 1640s. In 1649 in particular, the river landscape in Ruysdael's oeuvre reached "its classical height and perfection", as Stechow writes. In this mature work, the calmness of the composition and colourfulness takes the place of the dynamic depth effect that still dominated in the painter's early paintings before 1643. According to Stechow, "the green of the trees is once again claiming its rightful place", the contours are veiled in the light haze on the horizon, the various parts of the landscape together with the boats and pedestrians on the riverbank become a single entity. The paintings from this creative phase were mostly created in the artist's studio and are therefore not topographical depictions of nature, but combine characteristic elements of Dutch landscape painting to create an ideal reality. Comparable compositions can be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. no. SK-C-1698) and the Städel Museum in Frankfurt (inv. no. 100), among others. Together with Esaias van de Velde (1587-1630), Pieter de Molyn (1595-1661) and Jan van Goyen (1596-1656), Salomon van Ruysdael was one of the founders of early naturalistic Dutch landscape painting and one of the most important Dutch landscape painters of the 17th century. He lived as a wealthy citizen in Haarlem until his death. His landscapes depict a calm, tranquil world which, in their perfection, symbolise the harmony of creation, as is particularly evident in the painting offered here. This object marked with * (asterisk) is fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium for these objects. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

FRANS SNYDERS, circle (1579 Antwerp 1657) Stately still life with scuffling cats. Oil on wood. 35 × 43.8 cm. Provenance: - Le Roy art dealership. - Auction Lempertz, Cologne, 17.5.1962 (attributed to Paul de Vos). - Collection Dr Alois Uphues, Geneva, 1974. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By succession, European private collection. This scene of a fight between cats in the middle of a kitchen with bourgeois comforts demonstrates the brilliance with which Flemish painters gave still life its aristocratic status. The painter depicts a beautiful still life consisting of rich gold jewellery, silver cutlery, a bread basket containing peaches and a sash in a bowl. This composition is suddenly disturbed by the arrival of three angry cats. The unbalanced cats defy the weightlessness by grabbing the other by the throat, while a third observes the scene, spitting and ready to pounce. This scene is part of the Flemish tradition of depictions of fighting animals. The motif was also taken up by the Antwerp artists Paul de Vos (1596-1678) and Nicasius Bernaerts (1620-1678), among others. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

JAN DAVIDSZ. DE HEEM, workshop (Utrecht 1606-1684 Antwerp) Still life with peaches, grapes, a peeled lemon, a melon and other fruit, with oysters and a pipe on a pewter plate, on a wooden table. 1654. Oil on wood. 36.5 × 55.5 cm. Provenance: - Mrs Hintze Collection, Berlin, 1925 (DM 6000) - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin, around 1930. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By succession, European private collection. Exhibition: Berlin 1984, Dutch paintings from private collections in Berlin, Kaiser-Friedrich-Museums-Verein and Gemäldegalerie, 1984/5, no. 64 (as Joris van Son). Literature: - Jan Kelch and Ingeborg Becker: Holländische Malerei aus Berliner Privatbesitz, exhib. cat. Kaiser-Friedrich-Museums-Verein and Gemäldegalerie, Berlin 1984, pp. 130-131, no. 64. - Fred G. Meijer: Jan Davidsz. de Heem (1606-1684), Amsterdam 2016, p. 163, no. A62 (attributed to Cornelis de Heem). Dr Fred G. Meijer dates the present painting, which he examined in the original in 2008, to 1654 and emphasises that it is inspired by still lifes by Jan Davidsz. de Heem from 1652-53, which are now in the National Trust in Tatton Park (inv. no. 1298189) and in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (inv. no. M.86.95). While Dr Meijer still considered the authorship of his son Cornelis de Heem (1631-1695) in his 2016 dissertation, he now assumes that it was created in the studio of Jan Davidsz. De Heem, possibly with the involvement of Johannes Hannot (1633-1684). These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

ADRIAEN BROUWER, workshop (Oudenaarde c. 1605-1638 Antwerp) Peasants drinking in an interior. Oil on wood on canvas. 34.3 × 50.8 cm. Provenance: - Collection H. M. Clark, London. - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By succession, European private collection. Literature: - Wilhelm von Bode: Adriaen Brouwer: his life and works, Berlin 1924, p. 81, cat. no. 53. - Gerard Knuttel: Adriaen Brouwer. The Master and his Work, The Hague 1962, pp. 57-59. The painting offered here is based on a composition by Adriaen Brouwer, which is in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston (inv. no. 56.1185). Another version was formerly in the Schidlowvsky Collection in St Petersburg, which Gerard Knuttel assumes may have been the first version. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

PIETER GERRITSZ. VAN ROESTRATEN (Haarlem c. 1627-c. 1698 London) Still life with flowers in a silver vessel, a ball, a clock and other objects on a draped table. Oil on canvas. 66.7 × 53 cm. Provenance: - Gallery Brian Koetser, London, 1966. - Acquired from the above, Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By inheritance, European private collection. Exhibition: London 1966, Brian Koetser Gallery, London, March-June 1966. In this painting, the still life painter Pieter G. van Roestraten skilfully reproduces the materiality of the various still life elements and creates an opulent composition of precious objects on a draped table. Almost like a tompe-l'oeil, the tablecloth protrudes visually into the viewer's space and draws the eye. Born in Haarlem, the Dutch artist Roestraten was a still life painter who was a pupil of Frans Hals (1582-1666) in his early years. Roestraten went to England in 1695, where he was introduced to the court of Charles II. He was a close friend of Peter Lely (1618-1680). Dr Fred G. Meijer confirms his authenticity on the basis of a photograph, for which we thank him. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

DAVID TENIERS the Younger, Circumference (Antwerp 1610-1690 Brussels) Adoration of the Shepherds. After Andreas Schiavone (1510/1515- 1563). Oil on wood. 31 × 22.8 cm. Provenance: - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By inheritance, European private collection. David Teniers the Younger was already a successful painter when he was appointed court painter to the Governor of the Southern Netherlands in 1651. His new patron was the Habsburg Archduke Leopold Wilhelm, a cousin of King Philip IV of Spain. During the single decade of his governorship (1646-56), Leopold Wilhelm built up one of the largest art collections of his time, and Teniers effectively became its curator. Leopold Wilhelm's collection comprised around 1300 works, including paintings by Hans Holbein (1497-1543), Pieter Brueghel the Elder (1525-1569), Jan Van Eyck (1390-1441), Raphael (1483-1520), Giorgione (1477-1510), Veronese (1528-1588) and more than 15 works by Titian (1488-1576). Today, this extraordinary collection of masterpieces forms the centrepiece of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In 1660, David Teniers published an illustrated catalogue of 243 of the Archduke's most admired Italian paintings under the title "Theatrum Pictorium", which was the first illustrated printed catalogue of a large collection of paintings. The painting offered here is a copy after Teniers' version of Andreas Schiavone's (1510-1563) painting in the collection of Archduke Leopold (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, inv. no. Gemäldegalerie, 47) and was probably painted at the same time as Teniers' first version, which is now in the Institut Néerlandais of the Fondation Custodia in Paris (inv. no. 5796, see Margret Klinge: David Teniers the Younger. Paintings, Drawings, exhib. cat. Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten, Antwerp 1991, pp. 286-287, cat. no. 99). These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

JOOS VAN CRAESBEECK (Neerlinter 1605/06-1660/61 Brussels) Meal in the open air. Oil on wood. Monogrammed lower right on the bench: CB. Verso with brand marks of the city of Antwerp. 26 × 22 cm. Provenance: - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By inheritance, European private collection. Dr Karolien de Clippel confirms the authenticity on the basis of a photograph, for which we thank her. A version of the same composition by Craesbeeck is known (see Karolien de Clippel: Joos van Craesbeeck (1605/06-ca.1660), Turnhout 2006, vol. I, no. A70, pp. 202-203, vol. II, p. 500). This property marked with * (asterisk) is fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT is charged on the hammer price plus premium for these properties. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will receive a refund of the VAT.

PHILIPS WOUWERMAN, successor of the 18th cent. (1619 Haarlem 1668) Peasants resting by a stream. Oil on copper. 32 × 49.9 cm. Provenance: - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin. - Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By inheritance, European private collection. The painting offered here is based on a composition by Philips Wouwerman, which is now in the Dresden Gemäldegalerie (inv. no. 1444) and was copied in the 18th century by artists such as Franz de Paula Ferg (1689-1740) and Carel van Falens (1683-1733). These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

ABRAHAM VAN CALRAET (before 1642 Dordrecht 1721) Rider in a Mediterranean landscape. Oil on wood. Monogrammed lower left: AC. 42.5 × 33.3 cm. Provenance: - Collection Dr Heilgendorff, Berlin. - By inheritance, Heinz Kuckei Collection, Berlin. - By inheritance, European private collection. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

EGLON HENDRIK VAN DER NEER (Amsterdam 1635/36-1703 Düsseldorf) The fainting fit. 1680. Oil on wood. Signed and dated lower left: Egelon. vander. Neer fc 1680. numbered lower right: 99. 52.3 × 42.6 cm. Provenance: - Probably art trade / Jaques Meijers collection, Rotterdam, until 1695. - Collection of Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz (1658-1716), Düsseldorf, hung in one of the two private cabinets of the old palace, possibly acquired by the Rotterdam art dealer Jacques Meijers during a trip to the Netherlands in 1695, until 1716. - By inheritance, Collection of Charles Philip III of the Palatinate (1661-1742), Düsseldorf / Mannheim Residential Palace. Mentioned by Van Gool 1750-1751, who describes the collection in its condition between 1716 and 1730, as being in the palace in Düsseldorf, in "Het tweede Kabinet": "Een Vrouin een fl aeuwte liggende, van Egelon van der Neer. Transferred to the Residenzschloss Mannheim in 1730, there no. 120 (labelled on the reverse), depicted on a drawing in the gallery from 1731, 1716-1742. - By inheritance, Carl Theodor Collection, Elector Palatine and Bavarian (1724-1799), Düsseldorf/Mannheim/Munich/Schleissheim (mentioned in the catalogue of paintings in the Mannheim Residence Palace from 1756 as "Zweites Kabinett": "110. Une Femme en foiblesse avec quelques autres figures.par Eglon Vander Neer, hauteur I pied 6 pouces & demi. largeur I pied 3 pouces & demi"), 1742-1799. - Court Garden Gallery, Munich, from 1805. - Alte Pinakothek, Munich, 1910-1937. - Private collection H. Tschuppik, Vienna, in exchange with the Alte Pinakothek for another painting. - Daniël Katz art dealership, Dieren / The Hague, 1937 to at least 1939. - Private collection R. W. Hoos, Wassenaar. - Auction Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 7 July 1978, lot 227. - Auction Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 4 May 1979, lot 36. - Art dealer P. de Boer, Amsterdam, 1979. - Private collection, van Blijenburgh family, Hilversum, 1980. - Art dealer Douwes Bros, Amsterdam / London, 1983-1986. - Colnaghi art dealership, New York (label on verso). - Private collection, Cleveland, 2010. - Auction Sotheby's, New York, 29.1.2015, lot 58. - European private collection. Exhibitions: - Delft 1979, Antiekbeurs, Prinsenhof. - Leiden 1980, Een verzameling schilderijen uit de 17de, 18de en 19de eeuw, Leiden, Stedelijk Museum, no. 40 (labelled on verso). - Maastricht 1983, Kunsthandel Douwes. - Amsterdam 1989/1990, De Hollands fijnschilders. Van Gerard Dou tot Adriaen van der Werff, Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, no. 27. - Karlsruhe 2015, The Master Collector. Karoline Luise von Baden, Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe, 30 May - 6 September 2015, no. 88. Literature: - G. J. Karsch: Ausführliche und Gründliche Specification derer vertrefflichen und unschätzbaren Gemaehlden welch in der Galerie der Churfürstl. Residenz zu Duesseldorf, 1719, no. 121. - J. van Gool: De Nieuwe Schouburgh der Nederlantsche Kunstschilders en Schilderessen, The Hague 1750-1751, vol. II, p. 563. - Catalogue des tableaux qui sont dans les quatre cabinets de S.A.S.E. Palatine a Mannheim, Mannheim 1756, p. 18, no. 110. - C. Blanc: Histoire des peintres de toutes les écoles depuis la Renaissance jusqu'à nos jours: école hollandaise, vol. II, Paris 1860, p. 8. - G. Parthey: Deutscher Bildersaal. Verzeichnis der in Deutschland vorhandenen Oelbilder verstorbener Maler aller Schulen, 1864, p. 186, no. 15. - A. Woltmann and K. Woermann: Geschichte der Malerei, vol. III, Leipzig 1888, p. 737. - J.D. Champlin and C.C. Perkins (eds.): Cyclopedia of Painters and Paintings, vol. III, New York 1888, p. 325. - Th. Levin: Beiträge zur Geschicte der Kunstbestrebungen in dem Haus Pfalz-Neuburg, in: Beiträge zur Geschichte des Niederrheins, vol. XX, 1905, p. 244. - A. von Wurzbach: Niederlandisches Kunstler-Lexikon, Vienna 1910, p. 224. - Cornelis Hofstede de Groot: Catalogue Raisonné, etc., London 1907-1928, vol. V, 1912, p. 521, no. 55. - Historia Maandblad voor Geschiedenis en Kunstgeschiedenis, 1937, p. 300, no. 12. - E. Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, Paris 1953, vol. VI, p. 327. - Kunst & Antiek Revue, 1979, September, p. 7 (advertisement Kunsthandel De Boer). - Otto Naumann: Frans van Mieris the Elder (1635-1681), Doornspijk 1981, vol. I, fig. 107, p. 73 (note 47), p. 76, vol. II, plate II, p. 71. - C. White: The Dutch Pictures in the Collection of Her Majesty the Queen, Cambridge/London 1982, no. 121, p. 83. - Exhib. cat. Caroline Luise, Margravine of Baaden, Karlsruhe 1983, p. 215. - Apollo Magazine, vol. 128, March 1983, p. 65 (advertisement Kunsthandel Douwes). - Barbara Gaehtgens: Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722), Munich 1987, p. 415. - O. Ydema: Carpets and their Datings in Netherlandish Paintings, Zutphen 1991, pp. 57 and 154, no. 342. - E. Van de Wetering: Het satijn van Gerard Ter Borch, in: Kunstschrift, 37, 1993, p. 32, no. 6. - C. Kemmer: In search of classical form: Gerard de Lairesse's Groot Schilderboek and seventeenth-century Dutch genre painting, in: Simiolus, 26, 1998, p. 104. - E. Bénézit: Dictionnaire des peintres, sculpteurs, dessinateurs et graveurs, Paris 1999, vol. X, pp. 135-6. - E. Korthals Altes: The collections of the Palatine Electors: new information, documents and drawings, in: The Burlington Magazine, 145, 2003, pp. 211 and 216. - E. Korthals Altes: Philip van Dijk, een 18de-eeuwse Haagse schilder-kunsthandelaar met een locale en eeninternational clientele, in: Oud Holland, 116, 2003, p. 218, ill. p. 221. - E. Mai, S. Paarlberg and G.J.M. Weber (eds.): Vom Adel der Malerei. Holland der Malerei/ De Kroon op hetwerk. Hollandse schilderkunst 1670-1750, exhib. cat. Cologne/Dordrecht/Kassel 2006/2007, p. 232. - R. Baumstark (ed.): Kurfürst Johann Wilhelms Bilder. Gallery and Cabinets, exhib. cat. Munich 2009, vol. I, pp. 216, 253 and 263, vol. II, no. 150. - Eddy Schavemaker: Eglon van der Neer (1635/36-1703): his life and his work, Doornspijk 2010, pp. 488-489, no. 89, figs. XXXI and 89. - Holger Jacob-Friesen et al: The Master Collector. Karoline Luise von Baden, exhib. cat. Karlsruhe 2015, no. 88, p. 502 and illus. p. 138, text p. 94. The fainting spell is one of Eglon van der Neer's most famous works. Its first known owner was Elector Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz, one of the greatest collectors of his time. It is possible that it was the painting that the Elector is known to have acquired from the art dealer Jacques Meijers during his visit to Rotterdam (see Schavemaker 2010, p. 31). The earliest inventory catalogue of Johann Wilhelm's collection from 1719 contains two paintings by Van der Neer that were created before the artist was appointed court painter: the fainting spell offered here and the lady singing loudly from 1678, which is now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich (inv. no. 204). It is possible that our painting from 1680 was used by the painter Eglon van der Neer for his later appointment as court painter to the German prince in 1698. In its time, this interior with a scene from the everyday life of a wealthy lady served as a so-called "conversation piece" for the entertainment of educated cosmopolitans and aristocrats. In terms of composition, it refers to a work by the Leiden master Frans van Mieris (1635-1681), The Visit of the Physician, which was painted around 13 years earlier and is now in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles (inv. no. 86.PB.634). The fact that Van der Neer reinterpreted van Mieris' composition testifies to his ambition to achieve a similar international reputation as the older van Mieris - a goal he was soon to achieve. He adopted not only the subject, but also several motifs such as the furry red velvet jacket of the fainting woman, the weeping spectator and the fireplace in the background, as well as the frontal lighting of the scene. Van der Neer was not alone in his rivalry with Van Mieris. His Rotterdam colleague Jacob Ochtervelt (1634-1682) had also taken up the challenge and had probably already begun work on his version of the "Medical Visit" before Van Mieris had completed his prototype. In 1677 Ochtervelt painted another version, which is now in the Galleria Giorgio Franchetti alla Ca'd'Oro, Venice (inv. no. 183) and from which Van der Neer also seems to have taken elements for the present work (see S. D. Kuretsky: The Paintings of Jacob Ochtervelt (1634-1682), Oxford 1979, no. 98, p. 94). Van der Neer has here transformed Van Mieris's satirical visit to the doctor with his caricaturist protagonists into a sublime scene characterised by restrained drama. The unconscious woman has just undergone bloodletting, as indicated by the small bowl of blood in the left foreground. The cords of her corset have been loosened so that she can breathe more freely. Although she has lost consciousness, the attractive young patient observes the rules of decency and leans back in a graceful pose. The striking difference in the two artists' approach to this subject is sure to have sparked a lively debate among the connoisseurs who visited the Electoral Residence in Düsseldorf, where the two works happened to hang in the same room. In the 18th century, the painting on offer here also served as a model for Karoline Luise von Hessen-Darmstadt, Margravine of Baden, who painted her own version of the popular composition in the 1760s (see exhib. cat. Karlsruhe 2015, no. 89, p. 138). The Margravine of Baden was very involved in humanities and cultural issues. She was not only active as a patron of the arts and collector, but was herself a talented draughtswoman and member of the Copenhagen Academy of Arts. Numerous portraits in pastel and red chalk by her hand are known and the "Mahlerey Cabinet" and the Margravine's natural history cabinet formed the basis for today's Staatliche Kunsthalle Karlsruhe and the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe. Born in Amsterdam as the son of the famous landscape painter Aert van der Neer (1603-1677), with whom he was probably initially apprenticed, Eglon van der Neer received his artistic training from the recognised Amsterdam figure painter Jacob van Loo (1614-1670). He then travelled to the south of France, where he worked in Orange for Count Frederick of Dohna (1621-1688), the Governor of Orange. He returned to Amsterdam at the end of 1658, where he married Maria Wagensvelt, the daughter of a wealthy Rotterdam notary, the following February. In 1663, van der Neer moved with his family to Rotterdam, where Adriaen van der Werff (1659-1722) was one of his pupils. During his time in Amsterdam and Rotterdam, he specialised primarily in genre and portrait paintings. His interiors bear particular witness to the influence of his contemporaries Pieter de Hooch (1629-1684), Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681), Gabriel Metsu (1629-1667) and Frans van Mieris. In his late work, van der Neer also produced several mythological and biblical depictions and landscapes when he worked as court painter to the Spanish King Charles II in Brussels and later as court painter to Elector Johann Wilhelm von der Pfalz in Düsseldorf. Eglon van der Neer had a particular fondness for elegant genre depictions, in which he specialised after his return to the Netherlands in 1658 and then in Amsterdam and later also in Rotterdam. He dressed his protagonists in elegant garments with precious jewellery, whereby he was able to emphasise the materiality of the individual materials and to stage them realistically through the targeted incidence of light, which is also impressively expressed in this painting. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.

GILLIS CLAESZ. DE HONDECOETER, successor of the 17th cent. (Antwerp c. 1575-1638 Amsterdam) Strollers in a wooded landscape. Circa 1615-20. Oil on wood. 36.7 × 57.5 cm. Provenance: - G. Ennik Collection, Küsnacht. - Swiss private ownership. Literature: Vlaamse schilder in de Noordelijke Nederlanden in het begin van de Gouden Eeuw, Antwerp 1987, no. 392, illus. p. 315, text p. 313 (as Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter). At the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the numerous depictions by Gillis van Coninxloo the Younger (1544-1607), the woodland landscape developed into a motif in its own right in painting. Whereas forest views had previously been perceived as gloomy and threatening, the present painting already reveals a certain lightness, which is also emphasised by the strolling company, as is often found in works by artists of the following generation, such as Gillis Claesz. de Hondecoeter or Mattheus Molanus (1591-1645). The composition is known thanks to an engraving by Jan van Londerseel (1578-1625).

PIETER DE RING (around 1615 Leiden 1660) Still life with lobster, grapes, melon, peeled lemon and a Roman filled with wine on a table. Oil on canvas. Signed with the ring centre right. 65.5 × 62.2 cm. Provenance: - Auction Sotheby's Amsterdam, 14 Nov. 1990, lot 41. - Art dealer Xaver Scheidwimmer, Munich. - European private collection. The still life with lobster by the Dutch artist Pieter de Ring offered here demonstrates the class of the artist, who is undoubtedly one of the best still life painters of the Golden Age. Against a dark background, de Ring presents us with an artfully arranged composition of precious dishes on a table covered with a blue velvet cloth with a golden border. Grapes and cherries, a melon, a lemon, several prawns as well as a prominently placed lobster and a large Roman filled with wine in the background make this still life a virtuoso composition of various delicacies. Furthermore, the skilful use of light and the bright colours of the various fruits and crustaceans lend the painting an attractive liveliness. The complex composition is also striking: The numerous overlaps between the still life elements, which nevertheless in no way detract from the clarity of the composition, impressively demonstrate de Ring's mastery. Two similar still lifes with lobsters by Pieter de Ring can be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (inv. no. SK-A-335) and in the Städel Museum in Frankfurt am Main (inv. no. SG 999). As in our painting, the golden finger ring is also part of the still life elements in these still lifes with lobster, serving as the artist's "speaking" signature. Dr Fred G. Meijer confirms the authenticity of the work on the basis of a photograph, for which we would like to thank him. These objects marked with * (asterisk) are fully subject to VAT, i.e. VAT will be charged on the hammer price plus buyer's premium. Buyers who present a legally stamped export declaration will be reimbursed the VAT.