Lot 361: A CARVED IVORY AND ROSEWOOD CRUCIFIXION

BY JAN ENGELBRECHT POMPE, ANTWERPS (1743-1810), SECOND HALF 18TH CENTURY
The ivory corpus with delicately carved fingers and hands, signed J.Pompe.F to the reverse of the perizonium, on a separately carved naturalistic base applied with foliage and bones; lacking skull
24 cm. high - the corpus; 54 cm. high overall

Although there are circa 250 known and attributed works by Walter Pompe. Signed works by his son Jan Engelbrecht Pompe are extremely rare, beside the present lot there is a signed carved wood group of the holy family in the Breda's Museum.
The present crucifix is clearly influenced by works of the father; Walter Pompe, for example the naturalistic crucifix as well as the shape of the mound on which it is placed relate very closely to a crucifix signed WP 13/1 1765 from the van Herck collection, Antwerps, which was offered at Christie's King Street, 1 july 1997, lot 103. Another comparable corpus by Walter Pompe carved from boxwood is in the Breda's Museum, this time the corpus itself is very similar in posture. It is possible therefore that some of the work attributed to Walter Pompe might actuelly have been executed by his son who was clearly strongly influenced by the work of his father.

Christie's charge a premium to the buyer on the final bid price of each lot sold at the following rates: 23.8% of the final bid price of each lot sold up to and including € 150,000 and 14.28% of any amount in exces of € 150,000. Buyers' premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.