Lot 670: Godfried Maes (Antwerp 1649-1700 ?)

Mercury at the Temple of Minerva; Juno in Hades; Athamas tearing apart his Children; Aleithoe's Sisters transformed into Bats; Ceres transforming the Old Woman's Son into a Lizard; and Pluto carrying off Persephone black chalk, pen and black ink, grey wash, brown and black ink framing lines, countermark EL (2) and watermarks Strasburg Lily (1, 4, 5 and 6) and cross (3) 175 x 234 mm. and smaller (6) PROVENANCE The artist's widow, sold as a series of 83 illustrations for the Metamorphoses, to Jacob de Wit, Amsterdam, before 1717; de Leth, Amsterdam, 10 March 1755, portfolio U, no. 87. B. Cronenburgh; Amsterdam, 22 March 1762, portfolio A, no. 1. (1) Anonymous sale; Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 15 January 1974, part of lot 1273 (to Dreesmann). (2, 3 and 4) Anonymous sale; Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, 15-21 February 1980, lot 97 (to Dreesmann). (5) Anonymous sale; Sotheby Mak van Waay, Amsterdam, December 1986, lot 104 (to Dreesmann). (6) Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 11 November 1997, lot 235 (to Dreesmann). Dr Anton C.R. Dreesmann (part of inventory no. B-91).