Esaias van de Velde

In the collection of the Venerable Dr. Charles Thorp (1783-1862), Archdeacon of Durham, Warden of the University of Durham, Canon of Durham Cathedral and Rector of Ryton;
His deceased sale, 'at the Residence, in the College, Durham', Christie's, 6-7 May 1863, lot 136 (as 'Molinaer'), bought in;
Thence by descent to his son Charles Thorp (1825-1879), of Dene Head House, Ryton-on-Tyne;
Thence by family descent to the present owners.

This hitherto unrecorded work by Esaias van de Velde was painted during the last year of the artist's life, 1630. During his lifetime Van de Velde played a key role in the development of the Dutch naturalistic landscape, which was continued after his untimely death by his most famous pupil Jan van Goyen. The overall composition follows a highly successful formula employed on a number of occasions by Van de Velde, for example in his painting of A Farm Complex to the Right of a Frozen Canal (oil on panel, 28 by 46 cm.), signed and dated 1615, now in the Museum der bildenden Künste, Leipzig (see G.S. Keyes, Esaias van den Velde, Doornspijk 1984, pp. 141-2, no. 82, reproduced plate 8); and in a painting of a similar overall mise-en-scène to the present work, painted in the preceding year, 1629, now in the Gemäldegalerie, Kassel (op. cit., p. 140, no. 79, reproduced plate 256).

During the mid-19th century the painting formed part of the collection of Old Masters belonging to the Venerable Dr. Charles Thorp, Archdeacon of Durham, Warden of the University of Durham, Canon of Durham Cathedral and Rector of Ryton. A contemporary account of the collection (see A Short Sketch of the Life of The Venerable Charles Thorp, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 1862) observes that:

'It is questionable whether there is such another gallery in the North of England, combining so many varied specimens as are contained in the residence at Durham, and the Rectory at Ryton.'

Following Thorp's death in 1862, the collection was largely dispersed in a sale held at his former residence in the college, Durham, on 6-7 May 1863. The present work however, which was given to 'Molinaer', was unsold and has since passed by descent through the family of Dr. Thorp to the present owners.