Lot 06

Roelandt Savery (1578 - 1639) PASTORAL SCENE

The scene shows the harmonious coexistence of people and animals, specifically cattle and donkeys, set against a fantastic landscape backdrop of massive ancient ruins. Ruins of this type appear in Savery's works created relatively soon after his return to the Netherlands, particularly between 1613 and 1624, and are meant to evoke exotic motifs, often long gone - former architectural gems long since appropriated by nature in the form of the lush vegetation that grows everywhere. At the same time, the ruins provide shelter for people and animals. The pair of shepherds in the foreground are more concerned with entertainment and drinking than with nature. The group of villagers in the background are also in good spirits, and the cows and donkeys also look happy. The ruins are reminiscent of the well-known central temple of Minerva in Rome or the ruins at Tivoli, the appearance of which was also captured in contemporary prints such as the Vestigi dell Antichita di Roma, Tivoli, Pozzuola et altri Luochi series. The extraordinary interest in ancient monuments is also evident in the works of other Dutch painters, which undoubtedly could have inspired Roelandt Savery. First and foremost, we should mention the drawings of Pietro Stevens, with whom Savery worked at the court of Rudolf II. The latter, unlike Savery, visited Rome himself. Savery let his imagination run wild and set the ruins in the north, probably in his homeland, as evidenced by the appearance of the vegetation depicted. On the other hand, as Kurt Mullenmeister (1988, p. 118) has also pointed out, donkeys were bred in southern countries, including the Apennine Peninsula and Istria, so Savery probably did not aim at depicting a particular landscape (albeit enriched with exotic elements), but his aim was to capture a picturesque scene in which peace and harmony prevail. In fact, Mullenmeister was of the opinion that Roelandt himself had made a trip to Italy and Istria. Savery captured the scene with the cattle resting among the ancient ruins several times, the first place being given to the plate which is housed in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam under the title Landscape with Ruins, Cattle and Deer. It was probably made between 1614 and 1620. The deer is no longer present on the other versions. The closest to the present painting is one from a private collection in Germany, which is dated 1614 and signed on the stone in the middle. Mullenmeister (1988, pp. 280-282) nos. 176-179) recorded variants from the Mosigkau Castle in Dessau (which was destroyed during World War II) and a specimen from a collection in Munich. The existence of several variants testifies to the popularity of this subject.

Roelandt Savery was a Dutch painter of the Golden Age. He also managed to establish himself at the court of Rudolf II and Matthias of Habsburg, where an important centre of Mannerist painting was established. Savery devoted himself mainly to landscapes and his model was Gillis van Conixloo, which is particularly evident in the absolutely precise modelling of all vegetation. His popularity with the public was due to his faithful depiction of animal forms, and his most famous paintings include a likeness of the now extinct dodo bird. Savery's family lived in Kortrijk from the 14th century. Roelandt Savery was born into a family of painters and devoted his entire life to painting. He is believed to have appeared in Prague between 1603 and 1604, when his paintings show a figurative staffage in Bohemian costumes. Rudolf II found a great liking for the works of Pieter I. Brueghel, and therefore found Roelandt Savery's paintings pleasing. Rudolf II sent him to paint the pleasing motifs of rivers and waterfalls in the Alpine countryside. Of Savery's work, the paintings of Prague are also popular and appear in various quotations by other artists, such as Adam Willaert.

Exhibited: Rudolf II Art for the Emperor
Ref: Kurt Mullenmeister - Roeland Savery, LUCA Verlag Lingen 1988, (pp. 280-282) and Roelandt Savery in seiner Zeit (p. 111)
Provenance: Paris private collection, Czech private collection