Study of a shell of a tortoise

• Two Studies of the Shell of a Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas)
• Study of a shell of a tortoise

RP-T-1935-52

At the close of the 16th century, artists became increasingly interested in nature. Jacob de Gheyn’s circle of friends included several scientists. His expertise and excellent observational skills enabled him to portray plants and animals with meticulous accuracy. De Gheyn drew this picture of a tortoise shell from above and the side as a scientist would, observing his subject from different angles.

Boon 243

• draughtsman: attributed to Jacques de Gheyn (III) (possibly)
• draughtsman: Jacques de Gheyn (II) [rejected]

c. 1615

pen en bruine inkt, met witte dekverf, op bruin kardoespapier

height 381 mm x width 237 mm

De wijze waarop de schilden als ensemble zijn getekend kan niet gebaseerd zijn op observatie. De kunstenaar heeft de groeven van het schild te diep getekend. Daarom is het niet aannemelijk dat De Gheyn II deze studies getekend heeft, een mogelijkheid die ook I.Q. van Regteren Altena al in 1936 overwogen heeft. Volgens onze mening is J. de Gheym III hoogst waarschijnlijk de kunstenaar. (Catalogus van de Nederlandse tekeningen in het Rijksprentenkabinet, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Vol. II)

F.G. Waller Bequest, Amsterdam

bequest 1935

Public domain

…; collection, François Gérard Waller (1867-1934), Amsterdam (L. 2760); by whom bequeathed, with 37 other drawings, to the museum, 1935 (as Jacques de Gheyn II)

Please note that this provenance was formulated with a special focus on provenance research for the years 1933-45 and could therefore be incomplete. There may be more (mostly earlier) provenance information known in the museum. In case this item has an uncertain or incomplete provenance for the years 1933-45, the Rijksmuseum welcomes information and assistance in the investigation and clarification of the provenance of all works during that era.

Boon 243

To refer to this object, please use the following persistent URL:

https://id.rijksmuseum.nl/200118584