Jan Josefsz. van Goyen

Mrs Kathleen Bagley, Basingstoke;
By whom sold, London, Christie's, 12 July 1946, lot 48, for 1,579 Guineas;
R.W. Lloyd, The Albany, London, and thence by descent until sold;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Family'), London, Christie's, 10 July 1992, lot 7, where purchased by Johnny Van Haeften;
By whom sold to a private collector, U.S.A.;
Anonymous sale ('The Property of an American Collector'), London, Christie's, 6 December 2007, lot 50.

London, Royal Academy, Dutch Pictures 1450–1750, 22 November 1952–1 March 1953, no. 237 (lent by R.W. Lloyd).

A. Dobrzycka, Jan van Goyen, Poznan 1966, no. 168;
H.U. Beck, Jan van Goyen, Amsterdam 1973, vol. II, p. 174, no. 358, reproduced.

The following condition report is provided by Alex France who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Structural Condition The artist's panel is providing an even and stable structural support. There are wooden batons attached to the four edges of the composition. There is an enveloped label on the reverse of the panel and a small additional old label on the reverse. There are some small repairs to the panel which are clearly visible on the reverse in the extreme corners and above the centre of the lower edge. Paint Surface There is a tiny horizontal line of blistering in the extreme upper left corner which corresponds to the repair in the panel mentioned above. There is a very tiny surface scratch to the left part of the boat in the lower left and a very thin diagonal scratch in the upper right corner. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows scattered retouchings including intermittent retouchings on the four edges of the composition, a diagonal line of retouching within the sky in the upper left quadrant, very small scattered retouchings within the sky and an area just below the centre of the upper edge. There are other very small scattered retouchings. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good condition and would benefit from the localised consolidation of a small area of blistering mentioned above and revarnishing.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Sitting high above the banks of the Waal River at Nijmegen in the Dutch province of Gelderland, the monumental Valkhof citadel provided van Goyen with a wonderfully dramatic subject for numerous landscapes throughout the 1630s and '40s. His earliest dated depiction of the main citadel at Nijmegen is from 1631 and he seems to have continued painting it almost until his death in 1656. Most of the paintings are probably based on one or more drawings he made of the citadel, one of which, from the early 1630s, was drawn 'naer het leven'. The Valkhof was originally built by the Emperor Charlemagne in the 8th century but was subsequently partly destroyed by the Vikings. Although then rebuilt by the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, it was finally destroyed by Napoleon's army. This view of Nijmegen had however, by Van Goyen’s time, come to hold a patriotic significance. The citadel had been the stronghold of Claudius Civilis, the ancient hero who led the Batavians (from whom the Dutch believed they were descended) in revolt against the Romans. This first century uprising invited comparison with the successful Dutch rebellion against Spain, and as such the Valkhof came to symbolise the courage and bravery of the nascent Dutch Republic in its struggle against its oppressors. Although the Valkhof no longer stands, van Goyen's depictions of its imposing appearance, its shape and character, and of its monumental position high upon the banks of the Waal leave us in no doubt as to the significance of this national monument.  

This beautifully preserved work by van Goyen is a fine example of the artist’s interests throughout the 1640s. It was during this period that Van Goyen moved away from marginally more colourful ‘tonal phase’ of the 1630s, and embraced a monochrome palette, rendering his scenes in golden browns and grey tones, as seen here. Van Goyen has however been successful in imbuing this monochrome palate with a sense of warmth and depth through his careful use of a pinkish tone throughout the sky and in the light reflected on the surface of the river. The depiction of light, and the changing effects of it, was a significant interest for Van Goyen and here he successfully creates a light softly diffused through rolling clouds and reflected on the sheen of the calm waters of the Waal.