Imitator of Jan van Goyen, 'Sailing Vessels on a River in a Breeze', 1650s
Full title | Sailing Vessels on a River in a Breeze |
---|---|
Artist | Imitator of Jan van Goyen |
Artist dates | 1596 - 1656 |
Date made | 1650s |
Medium and support | oil on wood |
Dimensions | 37.1 × 53.1 cm |
Acquisition credit | Salting Bequest, 1910 |
Inventory number | NG2577 |
Location | Not on display |
Collection | Main Collection |
Previous owners |
Because of the presence of a signature and a date, this painting was once thought to be by Jan van Goyen, one of the great Dutch marine painters of the seventeenth century. Both, however, were found to be false and have been removed, so the picture is now attributed to an unknown follower.
Small boats are shown dashing through the waves at speed, two of them probably flying the flag of Rotterdam, though the colour has faded. The distant town is unidentified. An odd touch for us is the cows apparently walking on water; a closer look reveals they are on a spit of land jutting into the water, coming to a seemingly precarious end just in front of them.
Because of the presence of a signature and a date, this painting was once thought to be by Jan van Goyen, one of the great Dutch marine painters of the seventeenth century. Both, however, were found to be false and have been removed, so the picture is now attributed to an unknown follower.
Small boats (kaags, or ferry boats) are shown dashing through the waves at speed, two of them probably flying the flag of Rotterdam, though the colour has faded. The water is choppy but it lacks the impression of depth beneath the surface that van Goyen could create – look at his Fishermen Hauling a Net – and the clouds seem curiously lifeless.
The distant town is unidentified. An odd touch for us is the cows apparently walking on water; a closer look reveals they are on a spit of land jutting into the water, coming to a seemingly precarious end just in front of them.
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