Bishop did further research and found that the original work hadn’t been seen in public since 1888. The description of the Lievens in a catalog of a collector from the second half of the 19th century did match the drawing offered. Bishop had a bite.
But he wasn’t the only one to discover the drawing. At the auction in October 2020, interested parties bid against each other and the price went through the roof. “Looks like we underestimated him,” the auctioneer sighed as he hit $200,000. At $300,000, there were two bidders left. Bishop came out on top, paying over $500,000 for the work with auction costs.
After further research to prove the work’s authenticity and restoration to bring it back to its original condition as much as possible, it will go on sale next week at one of the world’s most important art fairs.
Interested in museums
Tefaf director Hidde van Seggelen is delighted with it. “It is now priced as one of the most expensive drawings by Lievens ever. But they are unimaginably rare. I think it’s fantastic that it is coming to the Netherlands,” he says in the NOS Radio 1 News.
According to Van Seggelen, there is a lot of interest in the drawing among museums. “They come from home and abroad to look at it.”
He explains that the work is about the history of the Netherlands, but also about art history. “Drawings are often the basis for paintings, but also for prints. You can also see that here. A large number of prints have been made.” Lievens’ drawing also served as inspiration for other artists.
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