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Lot Essay
Jacob van Ruisdael’s reputation as the most talented and versatile of the Dutch landscape painters of the Golden Age has remained undiminished since his lifetime. Landscapes featuring waterfalls and torrents constitute a significant portion of Ruisdael's oeuvre and are among the themes for which he is most renowned. According to Seymour Slive, approximately 150 works by Ruisdael depict this subject; however, only one of these is dated, making it exceptionally difficult to establish a clear chronology for these paintings (op. cit., p. 153).
Slive dates the present work to the 1670s, a period during which Ruisdael’s treatment of rushing torrents became more subdued, and his landscapes took on a more tranquil quality. The composition adheres to classical principles, with trees forming a repoussoir on the left, counterbalanced by hills and a tree trunk on the right. The scene recedes placidly into the distance over still waters, creating a pastoral effect characteristic of many of Ruisdael’s later works. This serene atmosphere is further emphasized by the presence of a shepherd tending sheep in the middle ground, with a sunlit castle visible in the background.
A substantial portion of the Dutch paintings in Edmund Higginson's collection were acquired on his behalf by the dealer Henry Artaria at the 1832 sale of Jean-François Boursault's collection in Paris. Higginson’s collection from Saltmarsh was auctioned by Christie’s in 1846 included several distinguished masterpieces: Rubens' Holy Family with Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist, Claude Lorrain's Landscape with Apollo and Mercury, and Willem van de Velde's Dutch Ships Coming to Anchor, all later acquired by the 4th Marquess of Hertford and now housed in the Wallace Collection, London. Perhaps the most celebrated painting from the sale was John Constable’s The Haywain (National Gallery, London, inv. no. NG1207).
Four Dutch paintings from the Higginson sale are also today in the National Gallery, London, including Philips Koninck's Extensive Landscape with a Hawking Party (inv. no. NG836) and Jan Steen's The Broken Eggs (inv. no. NG5637). Higginson also owned another landscape by Ruisdael, Wooded River Landscape, which appeared in the same 1846 Christie’s sale but achieved only half the price of the present work. That painting is today at the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 710)
Slive dates the present work to the 1670s, a period during which Ruisdael’s treatment of rushing torrents became more subdued, and his landscapes took on a more tranquil quality. The composition adheres to classical principles, with trees forming a repoussoir on the left, counterbalanced by hills and a tree trunk on the right. The scene recedes placidly into the distance over still waters, creating a pastoral effect characteristic of many of Ruisdael’s later works. This serene atmosphere is further emphasized by the presence of a shepherd tending sheep in the middle ground, with a sunlit castle visible in the background.
A substantial portion of the Dutch paintings in Edmund Higginson's collection were acquired on his behalf by the dealer Henry Artaria at the 1832 sale of Jean-François Boursault's collection in Paris. Higginson’s collection from Saltmarsh was auctioned by Christie’s in 1846 included several distinguished masterpieces: Rubens' Holy Family with Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist, Claude Lorrain's Landscape with Apollo and Mercury, and Willem van de Velde's Dutch Ships Coming to Anchor, all later acquired by the 4th Marquess of Hertford and now housed in the Wallace Collection, London. Perhaps the most celebrated painting from the sale was John Constable’s The Haywain (National Gallery, London, inv. no. NG1207).
Four Dutch paintings from the Higginson sale are also today in the National Gallery, London, including Philips Koninck's Extensive Landscape with a Hawking Party (inv. no. NG836) and Jan Steen's The Broken Eggs (inv. no. NG5637). Higginson also owned another landscape by Ruisdael, Wooded River Landscape, which appeared in the same 1846 Christie’s sale but achieved only half the price of the present work. That painting is today at the Musée du Louvre, Paris (inv. no. RF 710)