A storm on the River Schelde with a view of Antwerp

Maker

(artist)
1525-1569

Title

A storm on the River Schelde with a view of Antwerp

Date of Production

1562-1563

Medium

graphite, pen and brown ink, reworked in areas in graphite and grey ink, on laid paper, laid down, with remnants of a brown ink framing line on the left edge

Dimensions

Height: 20.3 cm
Width: 30 cm

Accession Number

D.1978.PG.11

Mode of Acquisition

HM Government (Acceptance in Lieu), allocation, 1978

Credit

Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Samuel Courtauld Trust, 1981.

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords






Label Text

Nearly two thirds of this stormy marine view is devoted to the study of rows of waves receding into the background. The variety of strokes, ranging from dashes and squiggles to long straight lines, is typical of Bruegel’s nuanced use of the pen. The city in the distance is probably Antwerp. Representing death and municipal justice, the island with its gallows seems to have been imaginary and serves here to underscore man’s fragile hold on life.

Notes

Formerly dated 1559, but changed in light of Manfred Sellink's 2013 article in Master Drawings.

Provenance

Sir Bruce Stirling Ingram (1877-1963); Dr Alfred Scharf, London (1900-1965); acquired from him by Count Antoine Seilern, London (1901-1978), 1935; Princes Gate Bequest, 1978 (Accepted by HM Government in lieu of Inheritance Tax and allocated to the Samuel Courtauld Trust, 1981)

Exhibition History

Drawings Gallery Display - Bruegel / Not Bruegel, Courtauld Gallery, London, 16/01/2016-17/04/2016

Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, The Frick Collection, New York, 02/10/2012-27/01/2013

Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Courtauld Gallery, London, 14/06/2012-09/09/2012 ...More

Mantegna to Cezanne - Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 24/02/1983-19/06/1983

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), Courtauld Gallery, London, 17/07/1981-26/01/1982

A loan exhibition of drawings from the collection of Capt. Bruce S. Ingram, Colnaghi, London, 1936

Cinq siecles d'art, Brussels, 1935 ...Less

Literature

Mantegna to Matisse - Master Drawings from The Courtauld Gallery, Frick Collection, New York and Courtauld Gallery, London London 2012-2013
no. 16 on p. 96
ill. on p. 97, detail on pp. 98-99
dated c. 1559; in file

Sellink, Manfred, 'The dating of Pieter Bruegel's landscape drawings reconsidered and a new discovery' in 'Master Drawings', September 2013 - pp. 291-322; 51, 3
pp. 296, 308-09
fig. 5 on p. 297
dated c. 1562-63; in file

Sellink, Manfred, Bruegel: the complete paintings, drawings and prints, Antwerp 2007
no. 79 ...More

Roberts-Jones, Philippe and Françoise, Pieter Bruegel, New York 2002
p. 286

Mielke, Hans, Pieter Bruegel: die Zeichnungen, Turnhout 1996
no. 52 on p. 61
ill. on p. 175
as authentic Bruegel, dated c. 1559; in file

Marijnissen, Roger H., trans. by C. Krings, J. Rossbach and M. Vincent, Tout l'oeuvre peint et dessiné, Antwerp and Paris 1988
p. 158

Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 140
ill. on p. 141
dated c. 1559; in file

Mantegna to Cezanne: Master Drawings from the Courtauld, British Museum, London, 1983
no. 22 on p. 19
ill. on p. 32
dated c. 1559; in file

The Princes Gate Collection - Drawings (Selection A), Courtauld Gallery, London, 1981-1982
cat. no. 127
no. 127
ill. on p. 90
dated c. 1559; in file

Müller Hofstede, Justus, 'Zur Interpretation von Pieter Bruegels Landschaft Ästhetischer Landschaftsbegriff und Stoische Weltbetrachtung' in 'Pieter Bruegel und seine Welt', Berlin 1979
pp. 104-05
in file for PG.9

Baer, Curtis O., Landscape drawings, New York 1973
p. 20 and no. 36 on pp. 106-07
ill. on p. 107

Seilern, Count Antoine, Corrigenda and Addenda to the Catalogue of paintings and drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London, London 1971
no. 11
in file

Spicer, J.A., 'The "Naer het leven" drawings: by Pieter Bruegel or Roelandt Savery?' in 'Master Drawings', 1970; VIII, 1
p. 13

Stechow, Wolfgang, Pieter Bruegel The Elder, London 1990 (concise edition of 1970 publication)
p. 126
fig. 75 on p. 126

Kannegieter, J.Z., ‘De Zeestorm van Pieter Bruegel’ in 'Spiegel Historiael', 1968 (March) - pp. 130-35; 3, 3
ill. on p. 132
not mentioned in the text; the caption for the image is on p. 133

Haverkamp Begemann, E., Review of 'Münz, "Drawings" in 'Master Drawings, 1964; II, 1
p. 57

Münz, Ludwig, Bruegel: the drawings, London 1961
no. 50 on p. 214 and p. 20
pl. 49
as a late work, possibly circa 1565

van Gelder, J.G., 'Pieter Bruegel: "Na(e)r het leven'" in ' Bulletin Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts/Bulletin Koninklijke Musea voor Schone Kunsten', 1960 - pp. 29-36; 9
p. 32, note 6

Seilern, Count Antoine, Flemish paintings & drawings at 56 Princes Gate, London SW 7, London 1955; I
no. 11
pl. XXVIII
dates c. 1559; in file

Grossmann, F., The drawings of Pieter Bruegel the Elder in the Museum Boymans. Postscript: 'Notes on the landscape drawings of Bruegel' in 'Bulletin Museum Boymans', 1954; V, 3
p. 84

Benesch, Otto, Kunstchronik, March 1953; 6. Jahr, Heft 3
p. 78

de Tolnay, Charles, The drawings of Pieter Bruegel the elder: with a critical catalogue, London 1952
no. 1 on p. 55
ill.
as pre 1552-53

Popham, A.E., 'Pieter Bruegel the Elder' in 'Old Master Drawings', March 1935 - pp. 64-66; 9, 26
no. 36 on p. 64
pl. 66
dates 1559

de Tolnay, Charles, Pierre Bruegel l'ancien, Brussels 1935
p. 101, no. 1
ill. 195 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Recto: lower left, brown ink, later hand in an oval outline: "Breughel".

Collector's mark: none.

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