Johan Christian Dahl

Grevinde Gerstorf-Hardenberg, Reventlov, Denmark, commissioned from the artist
Private Collection since circa 1930

The artist's diary, 17 October and 25 December 1853, mentioned
The artist's receipts ledger, 4 April 1854, Countess Gerstorf-Hardenberg's payment recorded
Marie Bang, Johan Christian Dahl, Life and Works, vol. II, Oslo, 1987, p. 340, no. 1145, catalogued (as whereabouts unknown); vol. III, pl. 492, the after-drawing illustrated

Original canvas. There are strokes and spots of retouching visible under ultraviolet light, notably in the sky in the upper left quadrant, along the lower edge and in the shadow in the lower left, and in the tree trunk on the right. Hairline craquelure is visible notably in the sky in the upper left, and there are some spots of paint flaking in the trunk of the tree to the right. Held in an elaborate, decorative gold-painted cassetta-style frame with plaster mouldings.
"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."

This pastoral landscape is in stark contrast to Dahl's wild nordic views of untamed nature. Painted in 1853, it bears witness both to his nostalgia for his early years at the Copenhagen Academy, and to the tastes of his clientele, in this case the Danish countess, Grevinde Gerstorf Hardenberg, who commissioned it.

While living in Copenhagen from 1811-18 he had made numerous drawings of trees and forests in the Dyrehaven and elsewhere in the countryside.  As Marie Bang points out, in the German academies, the rendering of the foliage - the so-called 'Baumschlag' - had been simplified into a barren formula which raised the ire of Dahl and his friend Caspar David Friedrich, who both preferred to study nature directly. The present work epitomises Dahl's continued insistence on truth to nature in his art.

Dyrehaven near Copenhagen is a recent re-discovery, having hitherto been known only from Dahl's after-drawing of the painting made the same year.