Lot 82
Attributed to Jan Swart van Groningen (circa 1500- d. circa 1560)
Lot 82 Details
Attributed to Jan Swart van Groningen (circa 1500- d. circa 1560), Dutch
THE BIRTH OF THE VIRGIN, CIRCA 1530
Ink and watercolour en grisaille heightened with white on laid paper; bears Albrecht Durer's monogram and date 1513 (later additions of circa 1530 or later), possibly done for a woodcut, as a model
Sheet 10.4 x 8.8 in — 26.3 x 22.3 cm
Estimate $3,000-$4,000
Additional Images
Provenance:
Ex. Coll. Mrs. H.A. Ibbotson, Los Angeles, California in 1945;
Private Collection, Vancouver, B.C.
Note:
Accompanied by a statement of opinion from co-author Dr. Erica Tietze-Conrat of the Germanisches National Museum, who with her husband, Hans Tietze, compiled the three-volume "Durer-Katalog", 1928-1939. The Dr's observations are summarized in a letter from the Frick Art Reference Library, New York, dated December 6, 1945 to the private collector at the time, Mrs. H.A. Ibbotson.
Dr. Tietze-Conrat gave her opinion verbally. She determined it was a Dutch drawing of about 1530 or later and probably created for a woodcut. The Durer monogram and date were later additions.
In her opinion, this drawing she identified as "The Birth of the Virgin" has the same "touch and style" to the works of Jan Swart van Groningen, an artist who was much influenced by Durer but also by the Italian artists. As Jan Swart van Groningen was a prolific engraver, it confirms the probable use of this drawing as a model for a woodcut.