Meindert Hobbema

Madame de L. de L., née de la Bégassière, Paris;
By whom sold, Lucerne, Galerie Fischer, July 26, 1926, lot 26;
Dr. Kurt Benedict, Berlin, by 1927;
Mr. W. Moser, Haarlem, Holland;
By whom sold, Amsterdam, F.Muller, April 9, 1940, lot 108;
Anoynmous sale,  Sotheby's, New York, December 3, 1942, lot 27, to Charles Sessler for $3,900;
John. D Schapiro, Baltimore, 1942.

Kunsthaus Zurich, 1933;
Haarlem, Frans Hals Museum, Winter-Tentoonstelling, 1940, no. 34;
Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Art, 1940.

Kunst und Kuenstler, Berlin 1926, p. 41, illustrated;
Jahrbuch der Preuszischen Kunstammulgen, Berlin 1927, vol. 48, p. 140, illustrated;
G. Broulhiet, Meindert Hobbema, Paris 1938, p. 405, cat.no. 212, reproduced p. 208.

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This panel is in good condition. The reverse has been cradled. One crack in the upper portion of the picture has opened up approximately five inches from the top, from right to left, which is particularly visible on the left side about and which needs repair. There are restorations in the sky, particularly along this crack, which one would expect. However, although there are retouches in the very dark glazes here and there in the landscape and foreground, broad abrasion does not seem to have occurred. This picture should probably be completely cleaned and re-restored in order to get the most out of it.
"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."

Born in Amsterdam in 1638, Hobbema studied in the studio of Jacob van Ruisdael and his early style is clearly indebted to his master's approach to landscape painting. Ruisdael's influence on his pupil, while extremely formative, lasts a relatively short time and by 1662 Hobbema started to demonstrate his own individuality and range within the wooded landscape genre. We are thus faced with the paradox that while Hobbema's landscape's are unimaginable without those of Jacob van Ruisdael, the latter's influence on his work is remarkably short-lived, although Hobbema never subsequently strayed far from the subtly restrained palette and pervasive tactile qualities of his teacher. In terms of composition, Hobbema focuses almost exclusively on dense wooded landscapes with thick overhanging foliage, often with small wood cottages, churches, and local residents who stroll among paths strewn about the woods.

This composition exists as a characteristic and highly successful example of Hobbema's early style. A road winds away into the distance as a man walks along it with a stick in his hand. On the opposite side of the road a woman sits and converses with a man and a boy who stand just beside her. Two cottages are placed on the right hand side of the canvas, with one being slightly cut off by the canvas itself. The two cottages are at opposite ends of an opening in the wooded landscape which frames a bright blue sky, which pours sunlight onto parts of the foreground. A subtle interplay between light and dark is achieved here, yet another hallmark of Hobbema's personal style. John Smith, the heralded 19^th century biographer wrote of Hobbema, "Whatever emanated from his pencil bears the true impress of nature, under her most engaging aspect; whether the rural scene presents the unripe freshness of the vernal season, or the varied foliage of mellow autumn. The several periods of the day are also given with admirable correctness, and no incident is neglected or overlooked that mau contribute to the beauty of the piece" (J. Smith, A Catalogue Raisonné..., London 1912, vol. IV, p. 111).

Another version of this same scene is mentioned in Hofstede de Groot, (A Catalogue Raisonné..., vol. IV, no. 239) described from a wood engraving by Charles Blanc (Histoire des Peinres, 1861, vol. II, p.7) and Emile Michel (Hobbema et Les Paysagistes de Son Temps en Hollande, 1890, p. 9).