Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël and Anton Mauve 1828-1903 AND 1838-1888

Sale London (Sotheby's), 28 October 1980

Dordrecht, Dordrechts Museum, Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël. Colorist van de Haagse School,  26 April - 30 August 1998, no. 10
Cleves, B.C. Koekkoek Haus, Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël. Colorist van de Haagse School, 25 September 1998 - 3 January 1999

V. Hefting, Schilders in Oosterbeek 1840-1870, Zutphen 1981, illustration 53 on p. 102
R. de Leeuw, J. Sillevis, C. Dumas, De Haagse School. Hollandse meesters van de 19de eeuw, The Hague 1983, illustration 44 on p. 57
S. de Bodt, Anton Mauve en de Haagse School, Openbaar Kunstbezit  4, The Hague 1997, p. 26-28, illustration 41
M. Peters, B. Tempel, Paul Joseph Constantin Gabriël. Colorist van de Haagse School, Dordrecht 1998, p. 23, 25, colour illustration 15

The canvas is relined. A tiny retouch in the water just below the birch branch in the lower right foreground. Two tiny retouches in the sky just above the horizon near the left edge. Needs cleaning but is otherwise in very fine condition. Framed in the original frame.
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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 present lot, an unusually large forest landscape, was the result of the fruitful collaboration between Paul Gabriël and Anton Mauve. It most probably depicts a wooded stream in the region of Oosterbeek, better known as the 'Dutch Barbizon', where Gabriël frequently worked. Anton Mauve was introduced there by Gabriël in 1858, the year in which they executed the present lot. From 1858 till 1868, Mauve frequently returned to Oosterbeek, where he met painters like J.W. Bilders and the brothers Willem, Jacob and Matthijs Maris.

As one can see, this landscape still bears the imprint of the Romantic school, which is quite understandable if one realises that Gabriël was schooled by B.C. Koekkoek. Reminiscent of Koekkoek's romanticism are the large oak trees and the wide, panoramic view on the left, showing the river Rhine with the high grounds of Doorwerth in the distance. Stylistically, the painting displays a degree of refinement and a clever distribution of shaded and sunlit areas which equally originates in the romanticism of the Cleves School. While Gabriël painted the landscape, the animals and human figures were supplied by his friend Anton Mauve, who was schooled by the animalier Wouterus Verschuur senior. Such collaborations between painters were not uncommon in the nineteenth century.     

The present lot depicts a wooded stream near the Westerbouwing in Oosterbeek, where Gabriël and Mauve often worked. The sheer size and composition of the picture suggests that it was commissioned by a specific collector. It is most certainly one of the most impressive examples of early Hague School painting.