Imitator of Hercules Segers, 'A Mountainous Landscape', early 17th century
About the work
Overview
This wild and desolate landscape painting was once attributed to Rembrandt. In 1960, its attribution changed to Hercules Segers, but now it’s considered to be by an imitator of Segers’s imaginative and highly original etchings.
As most of Segers’s are, the landscape is imaginary. The rushing stream and fast-flying clouds give a sense of drama to the scene, but the proportions suggesting the distance between the church on the left and the half-hidden house on the right perhaps seem a little odd.
Swift brushstrokes of browns and ochre stand clear of the oak support in places, leaving a rough surface known as impasto, which gives the rocks substance and texture. Only a touch of red surrounding the tiny church on the plateau in the foreground and in patches of sky brighten the gloomy view.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Mountainous Landscape
- Artist
- Imitator of Hercules Segers
- Artist dates
- 1589/90 - 1633 or later
- Date made
- early 17th century
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 57.8 × 82.2 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1928
- Inventory number
- NG4383
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.