ROELOF JANSZ. VAN VRIES | A river landscape with a wooden gate, a bridge, a nearby village, a boat, and figures

oil on panel; signed lower right: 'Rv Vries'

With Kunsthandel K & V Waterman, Amsterdam, by the 1980s;
From whom acquired. 

The panel is stable, flat and not cradled. On the reverse it is beveled along all four sides. The paint layer is very well-preserved, with many details and bright colors remaining, particularly in the trees. The varnish is fresh and attractive. The panel is made up of two horizontal pieces of wood joined horizontally at the center. There is some retouching along the join which can be seen with the naked eye in the sky and lighter areas, but is not very distracting. Under ultra violet light, one can see scattered retouchings along the join as well as in the sky, mostly in the blue areas. There are fewer retouchings in the foreground, most of them being in the dark areas in the lower left quadrant.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot provided by Sotheby's. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colours and shades which are different to the lot's actual colour and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation because Sotheby's is not a professional conservator or restorer but rather the condition report is a statement of opinion genuinely held by Sotheby's. For that reason, Sotheby's condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot.

This picturesque and peaceful Dutch scene is a fine example of the works produced by the prolific landscape artist Roelof Jansz. van Vries in the second half of the seventeenth century.  In addition to his hometown of Haarlem, van Vries was also active Leiden and Amsterdam, and he was influenced by a number of his contemporaries, such as Jacob van Ruisdael, Meindert Hobbema, and Cornelis Decker.