Sotheby's to bring two rare sixteenth century drawings for sale in July

KOLKATA: Among the many fine Old Master Drawings Sotheby's will bring to the market this July, will be two rare sixteenth century drawings which have been lying undiscovered in a Scottish aristocratic collection for 200 years.

These exceptional drawings were commissioned by a horse-mad Movarian aristocrat, called Jan Šembera of Bucovice, for his grand Renaissance palace near Brno, and it is quite a mystery as to how these quintessentially Central European works found their way to Scotland. Some believe it is possible they entered the collection when a daughter of the family married a Hungarian Prince during the nineteenth century.

Highly accomplished and still in perfect condition, these drawings are of a quality unmatched by any similar works, and, for Jan Šembera of Bucovice, must have been the ultimate symbol of wealth and success.

They are among the earliest known depictions of the Lipizzaner horse - a breed revered by the Hapsburg family, one of the most influential families in Europe at the time - and probably show Jan Šembera's own horses, portraits which he would have commissioned to augment his own power and align himself with the leading European political figures of the day.

From the collection of the Duchess of Montrose, they are estimated at £100,000-150,000 and £60,000-80,000 respectively, and will be offered for sale for the first time ever at Sotheby's London auction on 3rd July.