Deattributions

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Deattributions

Deattributions from Maarten Van Heemskerck

In the interim between Hülsen and Egger’s publication and the pres- ent volume, scholars have brought to light drawings away from Berlin that they have published as Van Heemskerck’s. In some examples, such as two of the three drawings in Paris that Arnold Nesselrath published [cat. nos. 48, and 67] and the sheets now in Amsterdam (cat. nos. 10 and 11), the technique on display matches that on the sheets given unquestionably to Van Heemskerck. Other examples such as the Colosseum Interior in Darmstadt [cat. no. 78] are less convinc- ing. In this section I remove Van Heemskerck’s authorship from some of these drawings and cast doubt on his authorship of others due to their departures from his technique and overall pictorial approach.

Cat. No. 78 Circle of Maarten van Heemskerck North and West Quadrants of the Forum Romanum from Atop the Palatine

Fritz Lugt Collection, Paris Nederlands Tekeningen, Album I, f. 6111 r

Pen and brown ink (with some black ink) Water Mark: Six pointed star above fragment of hunting horn (?) in a circle, only half of which appears on the sheet. Bottom of recto. Notes: Oval Monogram in lower right corner, “JD”; the figure of Homerus on the verso has been cut, but this is not of consequence because this would be at the top of the Forum drawing, not the left, right, or bottom.

Literature: Hasselt and Blankert, 48; Garms, cat. no. C30; Boon, 119–50.

One should only give this fine drawing to Van Heemskerck with ex- treme hesitation. Its uncharacteristically disadvantageous angle of view, lack of contrast, and the attenuated proportions of the build- ings on view all recommend against autograph status. The artist has set out a difficult task for himself. For this composition, he sur- mounted the Palatine to draw from a point of view that is higher and further north than in the panoramic composition we see in its more famous counterpart [cat no. 1]. From this vantage point, the gaze towards the northeast makes for a difficult composition. The Temple of Castor’s three remaining columns, which stand almost directly before the Roman Senate house, which in turn partially ob- scures the column of Trajan, form this drawing’s main vertical axis. Moving towards the left, in the middle ground, we see the Arch of Septimius Severus, the Column of Phocas, Ss. Sergio e Bacco, and the remains of the Temples of Saturn and Vespasian. The southern end of Santa Maria in Aracoeli and the Capitoline obelisk, and the east- ern portions of the Tabularium and the Palazzo dei Senatori form the backdrop. To the right we see the monuments on the Quirinal including the column of Marcus Aurelius, the column of Trajan, and the Torre delle Milizie. In the deeper distance, we are able to see the Frontespizio di Nerone and the Trofei di Mario. We must entertain the possibility that this is one sheet of a lost two-sheet composition. Almost all lines on the left continue to the edge of the sheet without fading. The lone exception is the highest horizontal line, which describes the roof of the Tabularium. The topography to the left, the north and northwest of what appears here would have provided rich fodder for further drawing; the artist could have completed the Tabularium, the Palazzo dei Senatori, and the Tarpean rock. Most lines at the right edge of the sheet do also continue to the edge, but become fainter. Moreover, the paper here is bunched, suggesting that it may have been bound at one time. How- ever, the artist would have found the topography to the right of this