Lot 156
  • 156

Jan Josefsz van Goyen

Estimate
30,000 - 50,000 GBP
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Description

  • Peasants resting by a watermill
  • signed and dated lower right: I. GOIEN / 1623
  • oil on oak panel

Provenance

Décorte collection;
His sale, Ghent, Predhom, 26 April 1841, lot 96, for 65 guilders, to Coecke;
With Duits, London, 1929;
With Agnews, London, by 1971, from whom acquired by the present owners.

Literature

C. Hofstede de Groot, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, vol. VIII, London 1927, p. 108, cat. no. 398 (with incorrect measurements);
H.-U. Beck, Jan Van Goyen 1596-1656, vol. II, Katalog der Gemälde, Amsterdam 1973, p. 108, no. 221, reproduced.

Condition

The panel is flat and cradled. There is an old join 8 cm from the top edge and an old split running parallel 2 cm below the join that runs the width of the panel. There is a shallow loss to the centre of the lower margin that is now hidden by the frame. There has been some restoration to both lines and some light touching out of wear in the clouds, but apart from this the paint surface is in very good overall condition.
"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."

Catalogue Note

This is one of Van Goyen's very earliest landscapes and it clearly manifests the style and influence of his teacher Esaias van de Velde. Beck (see Literature) records fewer than ten works dated prior to 1623. It is a landscape of the artist's own imagination, incorporating a variety of idiosyncratic architectural features into a verdant landscape with two meandering, steep country roads separated by a fast running stream. It demonstrates in particular Van Goyen's mastery of the narrative element in landscape painting, a field that he would dominate in the Netherlands for decades to come.