JACOB ISAACKSZ. VAN RUISDAEL | A wooded landscape with cattle crossing a stream in the distance

Possibly Jac. Kok, Amsterdam;
Possibly his sale, Amsterdam, Cok, 6 July 1768, lot 53, for 65 florins to Toussaint;
Possibly with Toussaint, Amsterdam (this, and the above according to Hofstede de Groot 1912, see Literature);
Hugo Charles van der Gucht:
Sold by order of his trustees, London, Christie's, 26 November 1965, lot 76, for 2,400 guineas to Brod;
With Alfred Brod, London, 1965–66;
Heinz Kisters, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland, circa 1966–70;
With Alan Jacobs, London, 1975, from whom acquired until sold
Anonymous sale ('The Property of a Lady'), London, Sotheby's, 3 July 1997, lot 41, where acquried by the present owner.

Düsseldorf, Künstlerverein Malkasten, Gemälde alter Meister, 23 October – 6 November 1966, no. 34 (exhibited by Alfred Brod).

Possibly C. Hofstede de Groot, A catalogue raisonné..., vol. IV, London 1912, p. 225, cat. no. 712c;
S. Slive, Jacob van Ruisdael, A complete catalogue of his paintings, drawings and etchings, New Haven and London 2001, pp. 273–74, cat. no. 344, reproduced in colour.

The canvas has a firm relining, the paint surface is relatively clean, and the varnish is discoloured. The paint surface has been flattened and there is evidence of wear throughout, most notably in the darker areas of the painting. Inspection under ultraviolet light is impeded by the opaque varnish beneath which it's possible to see traces of restoration scattered in the sky, and some possible strengthening in the reeds in the foreground, the cow in the river, and in some of the darks of the tree trunk and branches. In overall fair condition. Offered in a gilt and plaster frame in good condition.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Jacob van Ruisdael had an instinctive feeling for trees and woods. From his very earliest paintings dated to the mid-1640s he concentrated on the countryside near his native Haarlem: crowded woodland with sandy footpaths and tangled trees set in thickets with dense underbrush, often near the edge of a pond or stream, as we see here. By the 1650s, Ruisdael's woodland compositions are no longer opaque and overcrowded; he freed himself from cramped views by stressing large motifs and introducing sharp light accents to better the legibility of the scene. Slive dates this bucolic scene to the early 1650s and notes that in old photographs there were traces of an uncharacteristic monogram and date visible at the base of the trunk of the large tree – an unusual place for a signature and date on a work by Ruisdael. The date was read as 1671, an improbable date for the landscape. The monogram and date had, Slive notes, vanished by the time the painting was examined in 1970.¹

1 Slive 2001, p. 274.