Lot 1064 Dα

Jan Baptist Weenix was one of the most prominent proponents of the 17th century Dutch Italianate movement. Following his artistic training under Abraham Bloemaert in Utrecht among other teachers, Weenix travelled to Rome in 1643 and remained there until 1646, before returning to Amsterdam and then finally settling in Utrecht. His southern landscapes and harbour scenes are enlivened by figures from all social classes, and frequently by Classical ruins. He favoured strong contrasts in both colouring and composition, which lends his works great vivacity and tension. The present panel bears similarities to a work by the same artist in the Musezum Narodowe in Wroclaw, which also depicts sheep among ancient ruins with a still life arrangement in the foreground.
We would like to thank Dr. Anke Van Wagenberg-Ter Hoeven for confirming the authenticity of this piece upon examination of the original. She included this work in her recently published catalogue raisonné of the artist.