Cleopatra with the asp, in an elegant interior

Little is known about Berents, who proudly included 'Mathematico' in his signature. Christiaan Kramm (1797-1875) owned a book that had been the property of an artist he described as Jacob Berents or Bherents in his artist's lexicon De levens en werken der Hollandsche en Vlaamsche kunstschilders, beeldhouwers, graveurs en bouwmeesters, I, Amsterdam, 1857, pp. 90-1: 'Ik ben in het bezit van een zeer lijvig boekdeel in kl.8 /o. Ms., waar buiten op den perkamenten band geschreven staat: Handboek van den Heer Jacob Bherens, Miniatuur-schilder en Mathematicus, ter gedagtenis te bewaren. 1747. 'S Haage. Het bevat legio aantekeningen van gemengden aard, doch, voornamelijk, over het bereiden en gebruiken van de water- en miniatuurverwen.'. A previous owner of the book had noted further details about the artist, who was assumed to have been born in Hamburg in 1679 and trained as a draughtsman and miniaturist. Berents had been in the army for a long time before he started teaching engineering, architecture and perspective.
An undated ice scene from the Klaver Collection (M. Schapelhouman, P. Schatborn, Tekeningen van Oude Meesters, De Verzameling Jacobus A. Klaver, exhibition catalogue, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1993, pp. 224-5, no. 105, illustrated) also laid down on panel, has a signature and decorative border very similar to the present lot. In 1973 it was on the Amsterdam art market along with two other drawings, one of which was dated 1723. Another sheet, possibly by the same hand, was sold at Sotheby's Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 30 October 1979, lot 10. Like the present lot, it was signed and dated 1663. As the present bodycolour would seem to be by the same hand as that from the Klaver Collection, it can now be assumed that the artist was in fact born much earlier than Kramm assumed, and died after 1723.