A gothic church interior with elegantly dressed figures

Details

Hendrik van Steenwijck I (Kampen c. 1550-1603 Frankfurt am Main)
A gothic church interior with elegantly dressed figures
signed and dated 'Henrick van steenwijk 1578' (lower centre)
oil on copper
34.6 x 46 cm.

Provenance

Possibly anonymous sale; Gogel, Frankfurt, 30 September 1782, lot 400, as with figures by Van der Velde.
F.W. Hoynck; Berlin, Lepke, 11 December 1900, lot 35, as Steenwijck II.
Hans Bernhard Greve; Berlin, Lepke, 12 October 1909, lot 68, as Steenwijck II.
Anonymous sale; Prestel, Frankfurt, 10 November 1920, lot 96.
with Trafalgar Galleries, London, 1985.

Literature

F. Baudouin, 'Hendrick van Steenwijk (I)', in: The Dictionary of Art, London, 1996, XXIX, p. 592.
Edgar Peters Bowron, 'A brief history of European oil paintings on copper, 1560-1775', in: Copper as Canvas (exh. Phoenix, Kansas City and The Hague), Phoenix, Oxford and New York, 1999, p. 21 and 29 (note 57).
J. Howard, The Steenwyck Family as Masters of Perspective, Turnhout, 2008 (forthcoming), p. 105, no. I 7.

Special notice

Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €20,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €20,001 and €800.000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €800.000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.

Lot Essay

This church interior on copper is the first known dated picture by the artist after he had enroled in the guild of Saint Luke in Antwerp in 1577 and one of the first known painted architectural perspectives altogether. The genre first emerged in Antwerp in the late 16th century. The present church interior is composed mostly of elements from Antwerp Cathedral.

We are grateful to Dr. Jeremy Howarth for his help in cataloguing this lot.

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