Johannes Vorsterman

This painting is the earlier of two versions of this view of Gloucester by Vorsterman, which were painted during the artist's time in England between circa 1675 and 1686 (after which time he travelled to Constantinople). The other version is in the Gloucester City Museum and Art Gallery, having been previously owned by the Selwyn family of Matson, from which three Gloucester MPs hailed; in that work, Vorsterman has manipulated the view so that Matson House is included in the background at the foot of Robinswood Hill, to the right.¹

This view appears to have been taken from close to the River Severn, between Over and Maisemore. Gloucester Cathedral stands in the centre of the composition, and the numerous other church spires and city buildings are rendered in meticulous detail. The topography of the surrounding area is also depicted with great accuracy, from the buildings of Llanthony Abbey, set apart from the rest of the city to the right; to the Over Causeway - the road in the foreground, which crosses Alney Island, formed by the division of the two branches of the Severn; to the Alney brickworks, in the middle ground; and Zoons Court, the large house to the left, below Chosen Hill.

Vorsterman was born in Zaltbommel in The Netherlands, and trained in Utrecht with Herman Saftleven. While in England, he specialised in painting English cities, castles and country houses, including a pair of views of Windsor Castle, in the Royal Collection,² and a view of Althorp, dating to 1677, which may be viewed as a pioneering precursor to the topographical paintings of the eighteenth century, including those by Canaletto.³

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¹ https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/view-of-gloucester-from-the-north-west-62342

² https://www.rct.uk/collection/405265/a-view-of-windsor-castle; and https://www.rct.uk/collection/406508/a-view-of-windsor-castle

³ https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Althorp_in_1677_by_John_Vosterman.jpg