Jan de Bisschop

Sale, London, Foster's, 23 October 1929;
Purchased from Crook in 1929

London, Royal Academy, The Paul Oppé Collection, 1958, no. 437

Wash somewhat sunk and flattened in the broadest areas, notably the left foreground. A little light foxing throughout. Otherwise good and fresh. Sold in a modern, wooden frame.
"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 drawing, like lots 102 and 104, belongs to a series of extremely charming, very freely executed sketches by De Bisschop of views in and around The Hague, made during the last two decades of his life, following his move there to take up a legal appointment at the Stadholder's court, in 1652.  He depicted not only the notable buildings in The Hague itself and its surroundings, but also seemingly insignificant corners of the nearby countryside, and in particular the Haagse Bos, the last remaining section of the great forests that stretched in medieval times from The Hague as far as Haarlem, which were used from the thirteenth century on as a royal hunting park.¹  

However seemingly anonymous the subject of these rapid sketches might be, De Bisschop almost always carefully noted on the verso the exact location depicted, in his characteristically precise handwriting, usually at the top of the sheet.  In this respect, he was, perhaps unwittingly, the perpetuator of a tradition of ennobling the seemingly ordinary that lies at the very heart of the rise of landscape in 17th-century Dutch art.  

^1.  For further details of the drawings of the Haagse Bos by De Bisschop and other artists, see Charles Dumas, Haagse Stadsgezichten 1550-1800, Zwolle 1991, pp. 177-87