STORCK Abraham Jansz (Amsterdam 1635-1710) "Caprices in live - Lot 62

STORCK Abraham Jansz (Amsterdam 1635-1710) "Caprices in lively Mediterranean ports". 2 oil on canvas paintings. One signed lower left STORCK. H.80 L.68. Provenance: SOTHEBY'S July 3, 91, lot 88. CHRISTIE'S July 10, 92, lot N° 2. Hôtel des Ventes de Monte Carlo HDMC 29.11.2014, lot 96. A TURQUIN expertise will be given to the buyer. Abraham STORCK specialized in views of Amsterdam and Mediterranean caprices, as in our pair of canvases where he paid particular attention to the details and figures that animate these imaginary views. The architectural elements perfectly illustrate this notion of "caprice", referring to no pre-existing monument even though they seem strangely familiar. In the first composition, a group of pilgrims rest by a fountain, while a group of elegant men stroll along, followed by a small oriental page. On the left, men carry barrels along the quay bordered by a church. An English ship, bearing the arms of William III of Orange-Nassau and Mary II Stuart (who reigned from 1689 to 1702) completes the composition. The papal arms surmounting the fountain mask could be an allusion to those of Alexander VIII (1689-1691), a shield sliced vert and azure with a bend argent. In the second, a Baroque church closes the composition of this pair of caprices. The vaulted passageway, with its imaginary coat of arms and cardinal's hat, overlooks the quay where oriental merchants look on from their ship. To the left, two elegant couples prepare to board a gondola. Far out in the harbor, a Dutch or Venetian vessel responds to the English ship in our first view, forming a true unit. Abraham Storck brings all his talent to bear, playing with the warm, golden light of the foreground, which stands out against the colder background. The cloudy sky that occupies much of the composition harks back to the tradition of Dutch marine painters. The attention paid to the figures and the precise drawing of the buildings are characteristic of Storck, who here delivers two of his finest compositions.