Lucia Tro Santafe
International Senior Specialist
Lot 7
After Hieronymous Bosch(circa 1450-1516) by Pieter van der Heyden (1530-1572)Die Blau Schuyte (The Ship of Fools) unframed
13 June 2019, 14:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £10,687.50 inc. premium
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After Hieronymous Bosch (circa 1450-1516) by Pieter van der Heyden (1530-1572)
Die Blau Schuyte (The Ship of Fools) (Hollstein 20)
Engraving, 1559, on laid paper, a very good impression of the first state (of two), published by Hieronymous Cock, with the monogram 'PME' and Hieronymous Bosch Inventor lower left, trimmed to or just inside the platemark, the tip of the lower left corner made-up, touches of pen and ink in upper right corner, generally in good condition
Sheet 228 x 297mm. (9 x 11 3/4in.)
(unframed)
Engraving, 1559, on laid paper, a very good impression of the first state (of two), published by Hieronymous Cock, with the monogram 'PME' and Hieronymous Bosch Inventor lower left, trimmed to or just inside the platemark, the tip of the lower left corner made-up, touches of pen and ink in upper right corner, generally in good condition
Sheet 228 x 297mm. (9 x 11 3/4in.)
(unframed)
Footnotes
Bosch is acclaimed for his highly individual and unconventional artistic style, employing elements of fantasy and humour to expose human transgressions.
The Ship of Fools is an allegory with its origins in Plato's Republic about a ship with a dysfunctional crew which sets off bound for Paradise. With an inept captain, mutiny inevitably occurs and the journey descends into drunkenness and chaos.
In this image, a fool steers a boat of singing revellers absorbed with music-making and frivolous pursuits, oblivious of their ship's course, which is close to running aground. The fool holds some cherries symbolizing lust, whilst the jugs are an indication of the group's drunken state. For Bosch the ship represents a world populated by fools who pursue selfish and sinful acts without a thought for the consequences.
In medieval religious iconography the ship was regarded as a Christian symbol. In a sea of vice and sin, God's ship will pass through the floods to arrive in Paradise. Bosch was a staunch Catholic and obsessed with the struggle between good and evil and the terrors of Hell. He sought to highlight man's folly in a humorous way which would have resonated with a contemporary audience.
The engraver, Pieter van der Heyden, was a Flemish printmaker known for his reproductive engravings after works by leading Flemish artists such as Bosch and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. He used the monogram PME, the initials of his Latinized name, Peter Mercinus.