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13 not only the outward appearance but sometimes even the very essence of a person. In this quest, drawing is indispensable for many artists and has developed into an art form of its own, which has long since shed its ephemeral character. Of course, another function of drawing is reproduction, a work created after an ex- isting model such as a painting, as in Gainsborough example above. Drawing is a genre of its own in the history of art, wor- thy of special consideration. After all, rock and cave 1 T homas Gainsborough (1727–1788). Returning frommarket. Black pencil, grey and brown wash. 19.5 × 24.6 cm. Estimate: CHF 30 000/40 000 2 C arloMaratta (1625–1673). Themartyrdomof Saint John the Baptist. Pen and ink, brown wash heightened in white, black chalk. 25.8 × 17.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 10 000/15 000 3 A ttributed to Antonio de Pereda y Salgado (1608/11–1678). The fall of the rebel angels. Pen and brown ink, brown and grey wash, red and black chalk. 34 × 23.8 cm. Estimate: CHF 2 000/3 000 4 A braham Bloemaert (1564–1651). Study for the Judgement of Salomon. Black chalk with wash. 12.6 × 15.5 cm. Estimate: CHF 5 000/7 000 5 Circle of Peter Paul Rubens (1577 –1640). The lamentation of Christ. Pen and ink, brown wash. 21 × 16.2 cm. Estimate: CHF 10 000/15 000 6 G illis Neyts (1618/23–1687). Landscape with windmills and a city beyond. Pen and brown ink, grey wash. 14.2 × 19.8 cm. Estimate: CHF 3 000/4 000 7 A ttributed to Jacopo de’ Barbari (circa 1460–1516). Christ with the reed. Black and red chalk. 38.1 × 24.8 cm. Estimate: CHF 4 000/6 000 creativity. A high point in the development of drawing was medieval manuscript illustration, which produced mas- terpieces of drawing on parchment to accom- pany the text, usually in cooperation between draftsmen, who created the forms, and painters, who were responsible for the colouring. The development of paper production in the 14 th century paved the way for relatively inexpensive supports and eventually sketchbooks, thanks to which it became feasible to produce a large number of practice and exploratory sketches. In the 15 th century, the detailed artist’s drawing takes on a central role. At that time, it also aroused the in- terest of collectors for these precious works, which were gradually regarded as autonomous works of art. At his death, Rembrandt left behind several thousand drawings, sig- nalling the increasing importance of the genre in the Baroque and Rococo peri- ods. Drawing was also a key part of Mod- ern artists’ creations, as witnessed by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner’s countless stud- ies in pencil and ink, and Egon Schiele’s extensive graphic production. In archi- tecture as well, the sketch on paper can blaze new trails, as in the visionary de- signs of Erich Mendelsohn and Hermann Finsterlin. The 1 April auction features fine draw- ings from several centuries. Abraham Bloemaert is represented by a detailed study of the Judgment of Solomon (ill. 4). ‘The martyrdom of St John the Bap- tist’ (ill. 2) by Carlo Maratta is a precise- ly composed sketch for an altarpiece, probably created in order to receive a commission for a similarly designed, large-scale oil painting. Jacopo de’ Barbari was one of the few artists of his time who moved from It- aly to Germany, a direction so seldom 4 5 drawings are among the very earliest artistic expres- sions of man that have survived to the present day and thus embody an age-old tradition of pictorial 6 taken that he is sometimes referred to by art histo- rians as the ‘wrong-way driver’ of the Renaissance. ‘Christ with the reed’ (ill. 7), attributed to de’ Barbari, is one of his few surviving drawings. Considered a sketch for a panel painting, iconographically it probably refers to themocking of Christ and the crowning with thorns. Gillis Neyts’ ‘Landscape with windmills and town be- yond’ (ill. 6), in pen and brown ink with grey wash, is an outstanding, richly detailed collector’s item, as is ‘The fall of the rebel angels’ (ill. 3), attributed to Antonio de Pereda y Salgado, executed as a ‘bravura piece’ – a display of artistic brilliance. 7 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OLDMASTER PRINTS & DRAWINGS Franz-Carl Diegelmann diegelmann@kollerauctions.com ONLINE CATALOGUES www.kollerauctions.com