Cornelis Springer Dutch 1817-1891

From the seventeenth century onwards, Dutch painting became famous for its detailed, picturesque town views. Originating in the work of Gerrit Berckheyde and Jan van der Heyden, the genre reached its highest degree of perfection in the magnificently detailed pictures of the nineteenth century artist Cornelis Springer. In his time, Springer´s townscapes were so much in demand that he needed to draw up a waiting list that mounted up to at least two, three years. He was admired particularly for the masterful depiction of rich, ornate buildings and the lively staffage of his sunny town views. Springer obviously benefited from the fact that he was raised in a family of carpenters and building contractors, mastering the principles of architectural drawing and perspective at an early age.

Although Springer´s oeuvre is well documented, the present lot remained completely unknown up to this day. For more than a century it stayed in a private collection outside the Netherlands, where it was discovered only recently. In many senses, this lively town view is a great example of Springer´s painterly skills. The artist depicts the centre of a Dutch town, rendered with a fine eye for historical detail (see for instance the meticulously executed town gate with the city´s coat of arms). On the foreground we see the various ongoings on the fishmarket with merchants unloading baskets from a coach. To the left, women are buying and selling fish in front of the market building. Unequaled by any other Dutch painter of his time, Springer brings to life the day to day reality in a Dutch town in an imaginative way. The masterful play of shaded and sunlit areas renders a great charm to the scene. The picture was probabaly executed in the late 50´s or early 60´s, at the height of Springer´s career.