Alexander Keirincx, Studio of, Cornelis van Poelenburch

Anonymous sale, Paris, Drouot, 22 March 2000, lot 15 (as by Adriaen van Stalbempt and Alexander van Keirincx).

The actual painting is warmer and deeper in tone than the catalogue illustration suggests. The panel consists of two horizontal planks and has been cradled. The panel is slightly bevelled on the left edge. Tiny paint losses are visible along the right edge. The paint layer seems to be in excellent condition. Small retouchings can be observed along the join and in the sky upper centre, and in the water lower centre. The paint surface is covered with a discoloured layer of varnish. Overall, the painting is in good condition. Inspection under UV light is inconclusive due to the old varnish layer. Offered in a decorative carved and gilt wood frame, with a few losses. (MW)
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Keirincx was trained in Antwerp and his early works are greatly indebted to his older colleagues such as Abraham Govaerts (1598-1626) (who may have been his master) and Gillis van Coninxloo (1544-1606). Sometime between 1626 and 1628 he emigrated to the Northern Netherlands and a recorded collaboration with Cornelis van Poelenburch (1594-1667) suggested that he took residence in Utrecht.¹ Between 1630 and 1641 Keirincx is recorded in Utrecht, Amsterdam and London, where he worked in 1640/1 for the court of Charles I. From 1643 he settled permanently in Amsterdam where he died in 1652.

Although Keirincx adapted his style of grand decorative forest scenes to the more open and realistic landscape of his Northern colleagues, he still adhered to the Flemish tradition of imaginative, densily wooded views, as is evident in this river landscape. Keirincx often called on other artists for painting the figures in his landscapes. This practice was commented on by Arnold Houbraken who wrote that Keirincx was a gifted landscape painter, but he was not skilled in the depiction of human figures.² This staffage was often the work of  Cornelis Poelenburch, and some seventeen works survive which are attributed to both artists.  Interestingly, this collaboration also continued even when the two artists no longer worked in the same city.³

The staffage figures in this landscape clearly recall those by Van Poelenburch, but they are probably not by the master's own hand. Van Poelenburch oversaw a large and very productive studio and with the exception of Rembrandt and Jan van Goyen, no other artist had so many direct followers.⁴ The figures in this work may be the work of one of his ablest pupils, Abraham van Cuylenborch (circa 1610-1658) who worked in Utrecht and painted landscapes in the style of Poelenburch his entire career. Although his figures are derived from those by his master, they are characterised by their slender proportions and their rendering is less smooth. 

We are grateful to Dr. Nicolette Sluijter-Seijffert for her help in cataloguing this lot.

1. See P. Sutton, Masters of 17th-Century Dutch Landscape Painting, exhibition catalogue, Amsterdam, Boston and Philadelphia 1987, p. 362.
2. Arnold Houbraken, De groote schouburgh der Nederlantsche konstschilders en schilderessen, Amsterdam 1718-1721, vol. I, p. 102: "ALEXANDER KEERINGS; deze was een fraay lantschapschilder, maar had geen handeling van beeldwerk, waarom Poelenburg wel de meeste van zyne stukken met beeltjes heeft opgesiert."
3. Private communication with Dr. Nicolette Sluijter-Seijffert (September 2008) who is preparing an article on the collaboration between Alexander Keirincx and Cornelis van Poelenburch.
4. See N. Sluijter-Seijffert, 'The School of Cornelis van Poelenburch', in A. Golahny et.al., In his milieu: Essays on Netherlandish Art in Memory of John Michael Montias, Amsterdam 2006, pp. 441-53, p. 443.