Beschreibung:

Details
HENDRICK VAN CLEVE III (ANVERS 1525-1589)
La construction du temple d'Artémis à Éphèse
huile sur panneau
35,8 x 58,1 cm. (141⁄8 x 227⁄8 in.)
Provenance
Vente anonyme, Sotheby's, New York, 31 janvier 2013, lot 144.Post Lot Text
HENDRICK VAN CLEVE III, THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE OF ARTEMIS IN EPHESUS, OIL ON PANEL
The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, present-day Turkey, was one of the most important shrines in antiquity dedicated to the Greek goddess of hunting, wilderness and childbirth. Built around 560 BC on the site of an earlier sanctuary at the request of King Croesus (c. 596-c. 546 BC), the last ruler of the Mermnad Dynasty, it was the fourth of the Seven Wonders of the World due to the richness of its decoration and impressive dimensions (it was over 135 metres long and 70 metres wide).
The temple had an eventful history: deliberately burnt down in 356 BC by Erostratus (d.356 BC), seeking fame for his deed, the Artemision was rebuilt in the middle of the 4th Century BC on the basis of the original plans drawn up by King Croesus and his architects, Theodorus of Samos, Chersiphron and Metagenes (6th Century BC), before being burnt down again and plundered by the Goths in 263 BC.
It is possible that the figures visible in our painting in the lower right-hand corner of the composition represent the architects of the temple presenting the plans for their construction to Croesus.
A similar building is depicted in an engraving by Philippe Galle (1537-1612) see, The New Hollstein: Dutch and Flemish etchings, engravings and woodcuts 1450-1700 (517.II). This engraving was based on a composition by Maarten van Heemskerck (1498-1574), a painter who exerted a certain influence on the work of his contemporary, Hendrick van Cleve III (1525-1586).Special notice
Please note this lot is the property of a consumer. See H1 of the Conditions of Sale.