Circle of Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael

Although the handling, particularly in the background and figures, is very similar to Ruisdael's typical manner, the regular, more schematic execution of the leaves, though in some ways similar to the artist's etchings, has no parallels amongst the drawings accepted by Slive in his recent monograph on Ruisdael (Seymour Slive, Jacob van Ruisdael. A Complete Catalogue of his Paintings, Etchings and Drawings, New Haven/London 2001).  Other drawings with exactly the same characteristics have, however, been attributed to Ruisdael in the past, including one in Braunschweig (inv. Z 427), and another formerly in the Robiano Collection (sold, Amsterdam, F. Muller, 15 June 1926, lot 456).