Old Masters in Competition

Jan Lievens and Rembrandt had a close friendship, but also one of the most spectacular duels in art history. And one of them is seen looking at himself in the Lempertz auction. Further highlights come from Meindert Hobbema, Jan van Os, Johannes Christianus Roedig, Jacob Jordaens, Joseph Stieler and Jacob Philipp Hackert.

Constantijn Huygens recognised in them the brilliant future of Dutch painting. Jan Lievens and Rembrandt both came from Leiden and shared a studio for a long time. Despite their artistic rivalry, their friendship gave one of the most spectacular competitions in Dutch art history a human touch. The self-portrait is the most personal genre with which this artistic duel was fought – and both were masters of it. How close they are in their painterly quality can be seen in the numerous transfers of attribution between them. Self-Portrait in a Mirror (lot 1029, estimate € 100,000 - 150,000) by Jan Lievens was also initially attributed to Rembrandt after its rediscovery. With his mouth slightly open, as if wanting to speak to us, the painter looks at us intensely. In this, as well as in the position of his head, the depiction resembles Rembrandt's self-portraits of the time. As both were equally highly regarded during their lifetimes, interest in their great rival prevailed for a long time. In the meantime, however, Jan Lievens has once again become the centre of attention.

Meindert Hobbema is another pioneering Dutchman in his field in the auction. In comparison to those of his teacher Jacob van Ruisdael, his landscapes are brighter and friendlier: on a peaceful afternoon, a sunlit meadow opens up between trees beyond a wooded river landscape, with figures on a path (lot 1054, estimate € 150,000 - 200,000).

Jan van Os is one of the great still life painters of the 18th century, whose works also convey a positive mood, typically realised in the lush arrangement of his flowers and fruit on a stone plinth (lot 1064, estimate € 70,000 to 90,000). Johannes Christianus Roedig produced a pair of splendid still lifes: A floral still life with stone sculpture, cat and mouse, and a fruit still life with a clay vase (lot 1063, estimate € 800,000 - 900,000). This pair has been together since they were given to their first owner in The Hague. As major works by the artist, who was highly esteemed and collected at the European courts, the two colourful works have been on display in various museum exhibitions. They will also be offered together as a pair in the auction.

Jacob Jordaens' ‘Diana and Callisto’ (lot 1028, estimate € 100,000 - 150,000) is an outstanding example of Flemish painting. In 2013, this late work was part of the exhibition ‘Jordaens and Antiquity’ in Brussels and Kassel. In it, Jordaens tells the ancient Roman story of Callisto, a nymph from the retinue of the goddess of the hunt, Diana. For the dramatic story of the nymph who is involuntarily unchaste due to Jupiter's deception and assault, Jordaens draws on a solution by Titian that was known to him through his friend Rubens.

In the 19th century, the history of German literature and philosophy reached a high point that was also reflected in painting. Friedrich Wilhelm von Schelling was one of the most important thinkers of the time, whose face is largely known to us through a portrait by Joseph Stieler in the Munich Pinakothek. Another version of this portrait was previously in the possession of the philosopher's descendants. The portrait of Friedrich Wilhelm von Schelling (lot 1107, estimate € 30,000 - 40,000) comes to the auction from their estate

There are several works by Jacob Philipp Hackert in the auction. Fishermen with Boat on the Beach (lot 1102, estimate € 50,000 - 70,000) was painted in 1772 when Hackert stayed on the coast south of Naples. Another coastal view, this time a view of the Sicilian Aci Castello, is also to be offered for sale, as well as a view of the Tiberand St Peter's from the Ponte Milvio and a spontaneous portrait of a sitting dog in a landscape, estimates between € 8,000 and € 40,000.

The second part of the auction, starting at 2pm that afternoon, is equally worth a look. Here, a Brazilian landscape (lot 1267, estimate € 10,000 - 15,000) by Gillis van Scheyndel will be on offer, one of the comparatively rare views of a South American landscape that existed in 17th century Europe. The auction also offers works by Jan Miense Molenaer, Pieter Fransz. de Grebber and many others.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information or images.

Jan Bykowski
Press and Public Relations
info@lempertz.com
Tel. 0221 925729 -57
 

Auction 1245

Cologne, Thursday, May 16, 2024, 
Part I from 11 am
Part II from 2 pm

Preview: 
Cologne, May 8 and 10 - 15
Vernissage: May 7 from 6 pm