Lot number 3420 - Auction 150
ALTTESTAMENTARISCHE SZENE: DAS VOLK DER ISRAELITEN IN DER WILDNIS, UM 1600-1605

ABRAHAM BLOEMAERT 25 December 1564 Gorinchem (Holland) - 1651 Utrecht OLD TESTAMENT SCENE: POSSIBLY "THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL IN THE WILDERNESS", CIRCA 1600-1605 Oil on canvas. 104.5 x 87.5 cm. Partially min. rest., slight retouching. Frame. Literature: Comparative literature on the complete works of Abraham Bloemaert: Roethlisberger, Marcel G.: Abraham Bloemaert and his Sons: Paintings and Prints. 2 volumes, Doornspijk, 1993. Expertise: Accompanying report by Prof. Dr. Marcel Roethlisberger, University of Geneva, dated 18 July 2012. Provenance: Private collection, Rhineland. Bonhams London, Auction Old Master Paintings, 7 December 2022, lot 20. Also listed there as an independent work by Abraham Bloemaert. Previously old German private collection. Prof. Dr. Marcel Roethlisberger summarises in his assessment: 'The painting is masterful, the drawing concise, the colours strong. Numerous overall and individual references to Bloemaert around 1600 were mentioned. Despite a large number of dated works, it is not entirely clear when exactly it was created; the years 1600-1605 seem most likely. The composition of the picture contributes something new. New features are the concentrated grouping of figures and the dense foliage, which are related to the vertical format of the picture. The drapery of the garments is more fluid than in some of his other paintings, the execution of the foliage is a little more stereotypical, without flashes of light, and the tree bark on the right is strangely blotchy, which could possibly indicate the involvement of an assistant (Bloemaert ran a busy studio with dozens of students from an early age). Stylistically consistent, the painting is a fascinating addition to Bloemaert's oeuvre towards the end of his Mannerist phase.