Dirck van den Bergen, 'Two Calves, a Sheep and a Dun Horse by a Ruin', probably about 1665
About the work
Overview
Dirck van den Bergen was a pupil of the landscape and animal painter Adriaen van de Velde. A young apprentice would usually work in the manner of their master for a while, though most artists eventually broke away from their teacher’s example or developed their individual version of it. Van den Bergen, however, remained entirely faithful to Van de Velde’s example throughout his career.
This painting, sadly darkened through age, is a case in point. A calf and sheep lie in the shade. A sturdy young bull faces us, the pattern of its hide and the little fringe of hair between its horns catching the last rays of the sun. Behind them, almost invisible, is a dun horse and a rocky formation – perhaps the ruins of the title. To one side a person, chin in hand and deep in thought, completes a picture of peaceful rural charm. But all the elements in this picture are based on pictorial inventions first introduced by van de Velde.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- Two Calves, a Sheep and a Dun Horse by a Ruin
- Artist
- Dirck van den Bergen
- Artist dates
- 1645 - about 1690
- Date made
- probably about 1665
- Medium and support
- oil on wood
- Dimensions
- 23.8 × 30 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
- Inventory number
- NG984
- 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
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1907C. Hofstede de Groot, Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of the Most Eminent Dutch Painters of the Seventeenth Century, 10 vols, London 1907
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1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
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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.