Cornelis Springer

C.J. Nieuwenhuijs, London (possibly acquired directly from the artist, December 1866)
Sale: Fischer Auktionen, Lucerne, November 18, 2004, lot 1115, illustrated
Richard Green, London
Acquired from the above

Willem Laanstra, Cornelis Springer (1817-1891), Utrecht, 1984, p. 153, no. 66-12 (as De Kleine Kerktoren te Zaltbommel bij Zomer)

The following condition report was kindly provided by Simon Parkes Art Conservation, Inc.: This work is unlined. The paint layer is stable and varnished. It is probably clean. Under ultraviolet light, one can see extensive small spots of retouching in the sky, which presumably address abrasion. The condition seems to be very good in the architecture and throughout the center. There is one small horizontal break which is slightly visible on the reverse, which corresponds to some restoration around and possibly in the cart, horse's head, and figure riding the horse. The work 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."

Among the group of artists who form the Dutch Romantic school, Cornelis Springer remains among the most accomplished painter of city and townscapes.  His work is reminiscent of Jan van der Heyden and Gerrit Berckheyde and other seventeenth century Dutch masters who were instrumental in establishing urban scenes as a genre in its own right. The son of a carpenter, Springer was introduced to the principles of perspective and design by his brother, Hendrik, a professional architect. He studied at the Amsterdam Academy of Fine Arts under Jacobus van der Stok and Hendrik Gerrit ten Cate, and continued his training with Kasparus Karsen, who also specialized in townscapes.  In his early career Springer painted primarily views of imagined cities and buildings known as fantasiestadsgezichten. Beginning around 1850 the artist, responding to market demand, strove to paint recognizable views of known places, shifting his oeuvre to the topographically accurate depiction of Dutch and German centers, including Amsterdam, Alkmaar, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Naarden, Oudewater, Zaltbommel, Zwolle, Bremen, Lübeck and Münster.  Typically, Springer would first study his scene in situ, drawing a preparatory sketch which would then be used to construct his finished work back in his studio.

This View of the Little Church in Zalt Bommel exemplifies Springer’s complex work from the height of his career, evidencing his meticulous observation of the built and natural environment.  His careful composition of this fortress town in the province of Gelderland is characterized by the typical gabled architecture and ornamental facades of Dutch Renaissance townhouses.  Shaded beneath a bright blue sky, the scene is bathed in a rosy, atmospheric glow, where townsfolk interact: a mother shopping with her child, a man driving a horse-drawn cart, a dog sleeping in the shadow.  In the background, the tower of the Gasthuiskapeltoren of Zaltbommel and a linden tree anchor the idyllic scene.