PAULUS VAN LIENDER | Wooded landscape with two men by a well

Sale, Amsterdam, Sotheby's, 14 November 1988, lot 164,
where acquired by the present owners

Hinge mounted in two places along the upper edge to a modern decorative mount. The sheet has fractionally discolored and there are some small faults to the paper in the upper left corner. There is a small, barely visible, diagonal crease to the lower right quarter. The combination of media remains in good condition throughout, with the image strong. Sold in a modern silvered 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

As Robert-Jan te Rijdt described in the immensely informative catalogue of the exhibition, On Country Roads and Fields, the depiction of the 18th- and 19th-century landscape¹, it was only towards the end of his life that Paulus van Liender turned away from the more precise and traditional topographical landscape drawings that characterise his earlier work (see lot 132), and began to make highly original woodland scenes such as this.  His works of this type, which Te Rijdt says are 'without a doubt the high point of his oeuvre', look back towards later 17th-century Italianising predecessors such as Adam Pijnacker and Jan Hackaert, while at the same time anticipating the romantic forest landscapes of Barend Cornelis Koekkoek. ^1. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum, 1997-98; p. 148, under no. 15