Jan Josefsz. van Goyen

John and Mable Ringling, Sarasota;

By whom consigned to Julius Böhler, Munich, 1931;

By whom sold, in a half-share with Rosenbaum, Berlin, September 1932;

Dr. W. Greif, Zurich, by 1953;

Mrs. G. Gresswell, Oxford, by 1968;

By whom sold ("Property from the Collection of Mrs. G. Gresswell, Oxford, England"), New York, Sotheby’s, 28 January 1999, lot 257;

Where acquired by a private collector, United States;

Thereafter acquired by the present collector.

H-U. Beck, Jan van Goyen 1596-1656, Amsterdam 1973, vol. II, p. 257, cat. no. 557, reproduced. 

Geneva, 1953 - 1954, on loan;

Eugene, Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, University of Oregon, March - September 2017.

Van Goyen's late pictures are atmospheric in both senses of the word. Literally so, in that he was very interested in capturing in his paintings the states of weather, and the effects of clouds in response to meteorological conditions. In these pictures he paints clouds with unprecedented freedom, so that they become in some measure the subject of the picture. Furthermore, they are also atmospheric in the evocation of mood. Here clouds are massing prior to a storm, with threatening darker clouds moving in from the right, while the town port below, painted in balmy tones of brown, remains calm, though uneasily so, since we know this will not last long. The quiet fisherman and boat workers upon the shore go about their day amidst a still barely perceptible breeze, thus creating a dual mood in this large and beautiful composition.

Painted in 1651, this large format composition demonstrates van Goyen's ability to control a restricted palette with masterful effect. Yellow and varying hues of golden-brown control the lower third of the composition, while freely applied passages of blue punctuate the white clouds above. Van Goyen reserves subtle pops of color for the staffage on the shore, rendering them with soft tones of red and green. Indeed, it is in van Goyen's final phase as an artist that he synthesizes his inventive tonal style into a more varied and confident combination of color and control.