Studio of ABRAHAM BLOEMAERT

Gorinchem ca. 1597 — 1671 Utrecht

The Sinful Ways of Mankind before the Flood

61/8 x 81/4" (155 x 210mm).

provenance:
Suida Manning Collection and by descent to the present owner.

literature:
Jaap Bolton, The Drawings of Abraham Bloemaert: A Supplement in Master Drawings, # 533a, fig. 2, as copy after.

As noted by Jap Bolten, the present drawing is a copy of a Bloemaert drawing in Dresden at the Kupferstich-Kabinett, inv. # C 1980-70.1 Bolton had previously catalogued the Dresden sheet in 2007 but with a different subject designation. He no longer thinks it is a Banquet of the Gods or the Marriage Feast of Peleus and Thetis, prefering his present identification as a depiction of The Sinful Ways of Mankind before the Flood. 2

Judging by the illustrations, the original drawing is darker with richer washes than the present drawing. However, photos can be misleading. What is clear, given that the dimensions are correct, is that despite both drawings being cut down and yet showing the same of the composition, ours is a bit larger, especially in the height. Perhaps this confirms that our drawing is copied from the Dresden sheet rather than yet another source. Our drawing is more schematic and less specific in the morphology of the figures.

1

See Litt. Bolton, p.4, #533, fig 1.

2

The Drawings of Abraham Bloemaert: A Supplement, in Master Drawings, Vol. LV, Number 1, 2017, page 4, cat.no. of The Sinful Ways...