After Hieronymus BOSCH (c.1450 - 1516) - Lot 46

After Hieronymus BOSCH (c.1450 - 1516) Man - tree. Round engraving. Burin. Very fine proof, slightly yellowed (probably from an 18th-century print), with small spots and foxing. Paper with "FIN D'ANGOUMOIS 1716" watermark, held by two mounting tabs on verso, some pinched folds, wavy folds. Small margins, bottom edge a little irregular. Framed. (Hollstein 37) D. 20.8 cm. Leaf: H. 37 cm - W. 26.2 cm SC Very rare print after a famous subject by Hieronymus Bosch, of which only a few copies are known, one in the Rijksmuseum, the second in the Noordbrabants Museum. Provenance: Collection of Georges Leclanché, his son Maurice Leclanché, his son-in-law Marcel Lacarrière, then his son Christian Lacarrière, then his daughter Catherine Edou Lacarrière and finally, by inheritance, to the current owner. The tree-man in a landscape, looking towards us, has a body in the shape of an empty shell, within which is a tavern scene, possibly referring to the sin of gluttony, like other of Bosch's fantastical creatures denouncing the fact that baser instincts escape reason. An owl rests on the branches of the dry tree, while onlookers to the right observe the scene. Other spectators seated below, including an artist with his painter's palette, point to the satirical spectacle, denouncing the earthly temptations with which demons do not hesitate to beset humans.