Beschreibung:

DescriptionProperty from a Private Collection
Artus WolffortAntwerp 1581 - 1641Christ at the Pool of Bethesda
oil on canvasunframed: 136 x 198.2 cm.; 53½ x 78 in.framed: 167.3 x 230.6 cm.; 65⅞ x 90¾ in.Condition reportThe canvas has a very firm lining, paint surface is relatively clean and the varnish is clear and even. There is visible retouching to a vertical line running through the centre of the canvas, probably as a result of a fold or seam. There is also visible discoloured retouching along the margins most notably the upper margin. Inspection under ultraviolet light confirms these and further reveals multiple retouchings throughout the composition. Most notably to a large area in the lower left corner, two patches in the back and head of the left-hand leper, to the flesh tones and robes of the figures on each side, and in the architectural backdrop. Despite all these the painting reads and presents well in its current state without need for any further intervention.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceBy tradition, the Vermeer-huis, Delft, until 1938, when acquired by
Ernst Proehl, Amsterdam;
With A. Staal, Amsterdam;
From whom acquired by the previous owner before 31 December 1965;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 25 April 2008, lot 10, where acquired.LiteratureA. Berendsen, Prisma der bijbelse kunst, Delft 1952, no. 185 (as Gaspar de Crayer ;
M. Díaz Padrón, ‘Un lienzo de Artus Wolffort en la catedral de Sevilla: la piscina de Bethesda’, in Laboratorio de Arte, vol. 25, 2013, p. 904, reproduced in colour p. 907, fig. 5.ExhibitedDelft, Stedelijk Museum Het Prinsenhof, Bijbelse Kunst, 17 May – 12 August 1952, no. 185 (as Gaspar de Crayer .Catalogue noteThis composition was painted by a number of artists in Wolffort's circle, including Pieter van Mol (1599–1650), Otto van Veen (1556–1629) and Claes Moeyart (1592–1655).1 In private correspondence with the previous owner (31 December 1965), Justus Müller Hofstede proposed that the young Rubens may have been the inventor of the design, perhaps shortly before 1600, during the artist's first Antwerp period. Wolffort painted at least seven versions of this composition, including one with an extended curved top for the cathedral in Seville;2 another sold at Sotheby's, London, 10 July 2014, lot 127; and a larger iteration, which was bequeathed to the Gallery of Ontario in 1983.3 A further version was published by Michael Jaffé as by Pieter van Mol 4
When this painting last appeared on the market in 2008 the attribution was endorsed, on the basis of photographs, by Professor Hans Vlieghe, who noted that ‘it is a version of outstanding quality’.
1 For a list of the recorded versions, see H. Vlieghe, ‘Zwischen van Veen und Rubens: Artus Wolffort (1581–1641), ein vergessener Antwerpen Maler’, in Wallraf-Richartz Jahrbuch, vol. XXXIX, 1977, pp. 107–8, notes 22–23, reproduced plates 26–28.2 https://rkd.nl/explore/images/2404003 https://ago.ca/collection/object/83/3044 M. Jaffé, ‘Exhibitions for the Rubens Year – II’, in The Burlington Magazine, vol. CXX, March 1978, p. 139, reproduced fig. 11.