Salomon van Ruysdael

Private Collection, Jamaica;
From whom purchased by Benjamin Greene, Boston, circa 1835;
Thence by descent to Josiah Quincy, former Mayor of Boston;
From whom purchased by Vose Galleries, Boston, 1910;
From whom purchased by Elizabeth Gardner Amory, Boston;
Thence by descent to the present owner.

 

The following condition report has been provided by Simon Parkes of Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc. 502 East 74th St. New York, NY 212-734-3920, simonparkes@msn.com , an independent restorer who is not an employee of Sotheby's. This painting has been recently restored and should be hung as is. There is a thinness in the upper sky particularly which is still visible, but the trees and the foreground are very crisp and although there is slight thinness in the water in the lower right, for a picture of this scale this thinness is not an issue that should be further retouched. The retouches that have been applied are clearly visible under ultraviolet light mostly focused in the sky in the upper right but also in other areas in the sky and water. This kind of retouching in skies in Dutch landscapes from this period is not uncommon and there is considerably less retouching in the darker colors which allows this picture to present itself so well. The painting should be hung as is.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This imposing river view is a hitherto unpublished addition to the oeuvre of Salomon van Ruysdael. It was shown to the venerable art historian W.R. Valentiner in 1910, and in a letter dated 4 March 1910, Valentiner enthusiastically endorses the picture, stating "It is a picture of [Ruysdael's] best period-a rather late work as he died in 1670."¹ Valentiner dated the picture to 1662, hence his categorization of it as a late work, however recent examination has shown it to be dated 1652. 

This is an excellent example of the broad river views which Ruysdael perfected from the 1640s onwards. By this point in his career, Ruysdael had abandoned the tonal phase which dominated the artist's output during the 1630s, in favor of a broader, more vibrant palette with varying hues. Compositionally, it is entirely consistent with what is recognized as Ruysdael's quintessential river view. The scene is arranged as if painted from a boat mid-stream, with large trees overhanging a bank on the left, a ferry boat carrying cattle beside it, sailing vessels, and in this case, a recognizable landmark beyond, Nijenrode Castle. In depicting this landmark, Ruysdael shows that he clearly had an affinity for the site. He depicted very similar views on numerous occasions showing the same castle, some executed years apart, a further testament to his continued interest in the location. One example, dated 1649, from the Jacques Goudstikker collection was recently sold New York, Christie's, 19 April 2007, lot 35. Other examples depicting the castle can be seen in a picture from 1663, now in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid (inv. no. CTB.1999.39), as well as those in the Dienst Verspreide Rijkskollecties, The Hague (dated 1649), and in the Aschaffenburg Staatsgalerie (dated 1650).

The picture has been in prominent New England private collections since the early nineteenth century, including the collection of Josiah Quincy Jr., who was the 11th mayor of Boston from 1845-1849.  Quincy was the son of Josiah Quincy III, who was 2nd Mayor of Boston from 1823-1829, a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1805-1813, and is the namesake of Quincy Market in downtown Boston. Later, this picture was in the collection of Elizabeth Gardner Amory, who was a member of a prominent family of art collectors in Boston, not least among them was her aunt Isabella Stewart Gardner.

1.  A copy of Valentiner's letter is available upon request.