17th-c Dutch Old Master Drawing By Jan Luyken (amsterdam, 1649–1712) Aelius Sejanus

Jan Luyken (Amsterdam 1649 – 1712 Amsterdam)

The Assassination of Aelius Sejanus

Pen and brown ink, grey wash, brown ink framing lines, 172 x 138 mm; hinged along the left edge onto a cream card collector’s mount; also mounted on this is the etching after the drawing

Provenance
C.P. van Eeghen (1880–1968), Amsterdam, his collector's mark on verso (Lugt 6016)

Engraved
Lambertus van den Bos, Treur-toonneel der doorluchtige mannen,, Amsterdam 1698, vol. I, fol. 48.

Literature
P. van Eeghen, Het werk van Jan en Casper Luyken, Amsterdam 1905, cat. no. 1714, vol. I, p. 329 (the etching)

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Jan was active as an engraver, draughtsman and poet, and produced many engravings and etchings used as book illustrations; together with Romeyn de Hooghe his is considered the most famous and prolific book illustrator of the Golden Age.
This interesting scene was drawn by Luyken as the preparatory study for an etching in the book Treur-toonneel der doorluchtige mannen,

The ensemble comes from the collection of the Amsterdam collector Christiaan Pieter van Eeghen (1880–1968), who is likely to have inherited from his father, Pieter van Eeghen (1844–1907), a specialist in the works of Jan Luyken. The subject is taken from Roman history: Lucius Aelius Sejanus (c.20 BC–31 AD) rose to power as prefect of the Preatorian Guard and eventually shared consulship with Tiberius. Usurping more and more power in Rome, he was arrested, executed and his body thrown off the Gemonian stairs, the subject depicted here.