Anthonie van Borssum, 'A Garden Scene with Waterfowl', probably about 1660-5
About the work
Overview
There are really two subjects of this painting. The landscape creates a slightly mysterious air. The trees are backlit by a bright sky, and the long reflection across the pond leads our eye to the open gate beyond. It seems we are in a walled park or the formal gardens of a grand house. Then there is the activity in the foreground. A gaggle of ducks and exotic waterfowl – fashionable among wealthy landowners at the time – flock to the woman who is feeding them from the window of a garden house.
Anthonie van Borssum was born in Amsterdam and may have been a pupil of Rembrandt from about 1645 to 1650. He was a versatile and eclectic artist who principally painted landscapes and pictures of plants and animals. This picture was probably made in the early 1660s and may have been influenced by the work of Melchior d'Hondecoeter, who specialised in painting birds.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Garden Scene with Waterfowl
- Artist
- Anthonie van Borssum
- Artist dates
- 1630 - 1677
- Date made
- probably about 1660-5
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 33.7 × 45.8 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed
- Acquisition credit
- Presented by John P. Heseltine, 1918
- Inventory number
- NG3314
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
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.