Woodcutters working at the edge of a forest, a town beyond
Guide Price:
Make An OfferBlack chalk, pen and brown ink and wash on paper; signed verso; 17 by 11 ¾ in; 43 x 30 cm; held in a 19th century gilt wood frame
Provenance: Private Collection, Germany; Crispian Riley-Smith Fine Arts; private collection, England
Exhibited: Shepherd & Derom Galleries, New York, 22nd January-20th February 2010
The van der Vinne family of Haarlem were Christian Mennonites who mostly worked in the textile industry. In the second half of the sixteenth century,they moved from their home town of Friesland to Haarlem and during the course of the 17th and 18th centuries four generations worked as artists. The most important among them was Vincent van der Vinne Laurensz (1628-1702), student of Frans Hals. His grandson was Laurensz Vincent van der Vinne (1686-1742), and two generations later the artist Vincent Jansz. van der Vinne, became the first keeper of the Teylers Museum, and is the draughtsman of the work presented here. Descendants of the family have donated many of their ancestors paintings, drawings and memorabilia to the Frans Hals Museum.
The drawing presented here is especially close to another by the artist which was on the art market in recent years: “Peasants crossing a bridge at the edge of a dense wood, others resting nearby” ( Sotheby’s New York, 25 January 2002, lot 54). Both compare favourably in technique and size and being signed on the verso.
In superb condition, the fine structure of the composition and the precise draughtsmanship create a striking image which is significant and typical of the artist. Another of comparable note can be found in the Muses Royaux des Beaux-Arts, Brussels.