Rijksmuseum acquires 16th-century drawing by Pieter Coecke van Aelst
Publication date: 24 April 2023 - 09:12
The Rijksmuseum has purchased for its collection a drawing by the Flemish artist Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502-1550). The artist drew this Old Testament scene titled The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah around 1540–1545. It is very rare compositional sketch by the artist, and the only known design for a tapestry from the final phase of his career. This work was part of the Rijksmuseum collection from 1964 until recently, when, at the recommendation of the Restitution Committee, it was restituted to the heirs of the Jewish private collector Dr Arthur Feldmann. The Rijksmuseum attaches great importance to the serving of justice to the heirs of Dr Arthur Feldmann in this way. The heirs have sold the drawing to the Rijksmuseum.
We sold this drawing in memory of our grandfather, Dr. Arthur Feldmann, and dedicated it to the group of one hundred and sixty two Dutch Christians who are Righteous Among the Nations whose names are registered at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem. This group of courageous Dutch women and men risking their own lives to save Jewish fellow citizens from ending up in Auschwitz. This was a ray of light in an extremely dark, moon and starless sky. For this our highly respect and gratitude.
The Feldmann heirs
Arthur Feldmann
This drawing belonged to the private art collector Arthur Feldmann (1877–1941) from Brno, in former Czechoslovakia. On 15 March 1939, the first day of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Czechoslovakia, the Gestapo confiscated Feldmann’s home and all its contents, including the art collection. The Rijksmuseum purchased the drawing at an auction in 1964. In 2018 the heirs to Arthur Feldmann’s estate submitted a restitution claim for the work. In accordance with the recommendation of the Restitution Committee, on 3 April 2023 the State of the Netherlands restituted the drawing to the heirs; the Rijksmuseum then purchased the work for the Dutch National Collection.
Pieter Coecke van Aelst
Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550) was one of the foremost Flemish artists of the first half of the 16th century. He ran a large and successful studio in Antwerp, and was court painter to Mary of Hungary and Emperor Charles V. In addition to paintings, he produced designs for windows, prints, and silverwork, but he was most admired as a designer of tapestries. Some 40 of his drawings have survived, six of which are to be found in the Netherlands: three at Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, and three at the Rijksmuseum.
This is such an exciting drawing, because you can see Pieter Coecke van Aelst capturing his first idea for a tapestry. While The Marriage of Tobias and Sarah may be one of the most modest in size of the artist’s work, measuring just 7.3 x 11 cm, it is executed with great virtuosity and subtlety.
Ilona van Tuinen, Head of the Print Room
Tapestry
Coecke van Aelst made this drawing as part of his design preparations for a series of tapestries on the biblical figure Tobit – there are several surviving but incomplete series on this theme. This is the only Coecke van Aelst tapestry design in a Dutch collection. It offers an insight into the operations of his workshop in the final phase of his career.
Vital support
The Rijksmuseum is grateful for all the forms of support it receives. Government funding, contributions from the business sector and funding organisations, as well as gifts, bequests and Friends are all of vital importance to the Rijksmuseum.
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