Joost Cornelisz. Droochsloot

Acquired by an ancestor of the present owner, probably between circa 1820 and 1845.

Support The canvas has been relined and is tacked to a relatively light-weight expandable stretcher with a single, very thin vertical crossbar. The condition of the lining is reasonable although it is separating from the original at the top left corner where the original canvas is now bent forward in the frame. Paint layers The paint surface is marked by a slight cupping across much of the picture. There is also some minor weave interference where thicker threads in the canvas support have imposed themselves in the paint surface during an earlier lining producing a series of fine vertical lines when seen in a raking light. It should be possible to remove most of these undulations in the paint if the canvas was sensitively relined again. Despite the fact that the picture is generally in a good state of preservation, there is an unnecessary amount of repaint in the sky where it has been broadly applied to cover mostly minor spots and blemishes. There is one significant loss above and to the left of the Buitenhof tower which has been crudely filled and retouched, otherwise the rest of the sky is in fairly good condition. However, remains of dark brown varnish from a previous cleaning lie in the hollows of many of the cupped areas of paint mentioned above and these dark patches along with a slightly worn original paint surface give the painting a much more abraded appearance than would be the case if it was properly cleaned. Varnish coating Much discoloured old varnish remains from a previous cleaning. It covers the trees mid-way up the left side of the painting as well as the area around the figure in red on a brown horse towards the right side. Visible under ultra-violet light as a milky yellow haze it greatly distorts the balance of colour and tonality in the painting which would look spectacularly better if it was removed.
"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."

The following condition report is provided by Simon Folkes who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's:

The view is looking east along the Hofvijver (literally Court Pond) in The Hague.  To the right are the buildings that were then the residence of the Princes of Orange and now house the Dutch Parliament:  the Buitenhof (Outer Court) nearest the viewer, and beyond the Binnenhof (Inner Court).  To the left, behind the trees, lies the Lange Vijverberg.  The building in the far left hand corner is the St. Sebastiaansdoelen, demolished in 1636-7.  At the end of the range of buildings to the right in the corner of the Holfvijver is the Mauritstoren, built in 1598-1600.  The topography had changed little in the thirty years since Jacques de Gheyn's aerial panorama of 1598 (see detail fig. 1), but was to change markedly in succeeding decades: for example with the construction of The Mauritshuis, built at the end of the enfilade of buildings along the south side of the Hofvijver to the right, causing the demolition of the Mauritstoren.

This popular subject was painted by a number of artists including in at least two versions each by Droochsloot's contemporaries Hendrik Ambrosius Pacx (circa 1621-5) and Paulus van Hillegaert (circa 1625), all of which portray the cavalcade of the Princes of Nassau, as does an anonymous picture of circa 1630, which may well depend on the present one, although there are small differences: for example the gabled buildings at the corner of the wall to the right are omitted.¹ The popularity of the figural subject matter is probably due to Adriaen van de Venne, who portrayed the Princes of Nassau together on horseback in several settings, though not the present one. The present view remained popular throughout most of the rest of the 17th Century, and was painted in several versions by Gerrit Berckheyde, and by Willem Schellinks and Jan van Kessel.

Another version by Droochsloot, apparently unsigned, was in the collection of Dr. H. Hartmann, Remscheid, in 1977.

1.  See C. Dumas, Haagse Stadsgezichten, Zwolle 1991, pp. 648-659, no. 59, reproduced in colour plate V; for the works attributed to Pacx and Hillegaert see figs. 2-6.