Cornelis Decker, 'A Cottage among Trees on the Bank of a Stream', 1669
About the work
Overview
Cornelis Decker is a little-known Dutch landscape painter who lived and worked in Haarlem, often painting in the manner of Jacob van Ruisdael – as he does in this picture. It shows the view of a hilly landscape with trees tossing in the wind and a stream running through rocky terrain. On the hillside there’s a thatched cottage with a dovecote perched on top and a little family gathered at the door. Further down the slope, a horseman splashing through the water pauses to speak to a man with a dog. A second man runs ahead encouraging his hounds onwards with a waving arm.
But Decker’s work lacks the precision and drama of van Ruisdael’s. There is little sense of movement, especially in the sky; the multiple shades of green that van Ruisdael achieves are missing; and the rocks in the background have no real substance.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Cottage among Trees on the Bank of a Stream
- Artist
- Cornelis Decker
- Artist dates
- before 1623; died 1678
- Date made
- 1669
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 65.2 × 77.5 cm
- Inscription summary
- Signed; Dated
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1891
- Inventory number
- NG1341
- 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.