Perseus washing his hands after liberating Andromeda and placing the head of Medusa on a bed of leaves and sea weed

Details

Attributed to Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem (Haarlem 1562-1638)
Perseus washing his hands after liberating Andromeda and placing the head of Medusa on a bed of leaves and sea weed
oil on panel, unframed
34.5 x 51.6 cm.

Provenance

P. and W. and Cath. van Hunthum; Coens, Amsterdam, 22 April 1762, lot 7 (to Yver).
Anonymous sale, Cok, Amsterdam, 8 May 1769, lot 38 (to Frans Damme).
H. Rottermondt; Van der Schley, Amsterdam, 18 July 1786, lot 95.
with F. Goldmann, Vienna, (as v. Uytenbroeck), where bought by Fürst Johannes I von Liechtenstein, 1834.
Schloss Vaduz, Liechtenstein, 1945.

Literature

J. Falke, Katalog der fürstlich Liechtensteinischen Bilder-Galerie im Gartenpalais der Rossau zu Wien, Vienna, 1873, p. 116, no. 1017.
J. Falke, Katalog der fürstlich Liechtensteinischen Bilder-Galerie im Gartenpalais der Rossau zu Wien, Vienna, 1885, p. 83, no. 618.
A. von Wurzbach, Niederländisches Künstler-Lexikon, Vienna-Leipzig, 1906, I, p. 701, as Cornelis Holsteyn.
A. Kronfeld, Führer durch die Fürstlich Liechtensteinische Gemäldegalerie in Wien, Vienna, 1931, p. 121, no. 618.
P. van Thiel, Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem 1562-1638, Doornspijk, 1999, pp. 176 and 357, no. 160.

Special notice

“!” Lots imported from outside the EU. The Buyer’s Premium is 37.05% incl. VAT over the first €5,000, plus 31.1% incl. VAT of the Hammer Price between €5,001 and €400,000, plus 21.58% incl. VAT of any amount in excess of €400,001.

Lot Essay

Pieter van Thiel dates the present picture to 1621/2 on the basis of comparison with Cornelis van Haarlem's Cymon and Iphigenia dated 1621 in the Pushkin Museum, Moscow, and The Hesperides filling the Cornucopia dated 1622 in the Hornstein collection, Montreal (op. cit.). Although not completely sure about the attribution, Van Thiel points out that details like the shield and the faces of the nymphs are typical of the artist. The landscape is rather unusual for Van Haarlem and Van Thiel suggests that it may be by another hand (written communication, 8 February 2008).

We are grateful to Drs. Pieter van Thiel, formerly Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for his help in cataloguing this lot.

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