by-nc

Woodland study

Maker

(artist)
1607-1674

Title

Woodland study

Date of Production

circa 1655 - 1665

Medium

pen and brown ink on imported oriental sized paper, with vestiges of brown ink framing lines

Dimensions

Height: 22.3 cm
Width: 37.3 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.2260

Mode of Acquisition

Robert Clermont Witt, bequest, 1952

Credit

The Courtauld, London (Samuel Courtauld Trust)

Copyright

Work in the public domain

Location

Not currently on display

Keywords





Label Text

Pens cut from dried hollow reeds were less popular with European artists than quill pens. They are harder and less flexible than quills, and hold ink for an even shorter time. Lievens has taken advantage of these characteristics by drawing short, firm lines, in ink of different dilutions. He has also used imported oriental paper whose thin, soft sheets were made from mulberry fibres rather than the linen and other rags normally used in the west. The surface of this sheet is very smooth, perhaps polished with a hard stone. It has also been well-sized (coated with dilute glue) to make it absorb ink less quickly. Both treatments make it possible for the reed pen to glide freely and swiftly over the paper.

Provenance

Abraham Furnerius (1628–1654), Amsterdam; presumably his father, Dr. Johannes Claesz. Furnerius (1582–1668), Rotterdam; presumably his sale, Amsterdam, Keizerskroon, 7 or 19 December 1668; Major-Gen. Sir Henry Willoughby Rooke (1782–1869); by descent to his second son, Rev. Willoughby J. E. Rooke (dates unknown), Tunstal, Lancs.; by descent to his niece, Miss Muriel H. Williams (fl. 1927); from whom purchased, via Campbell Dodgson, London (1867–1948), by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872–1952), L. 2228b, November 1926; Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

Dutch drawings from the Witt Collection: Part 1: Landscape, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 1972 (Jan.-Mar.)

Landscapes in the Making: Dutch & Flemish 16-17th Century Drawings from the Courtauld Gallery, Tobu Museum of Arts, Tokyo, 03/11/2000-24/12/2000; Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art, Shizuoka, 02/02/2001-11/03/2001; Koriyama City Museum of Art, Koriyama, 17/03/2001-15/04/2001

Material Evidence, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 30/10/1998-24/01/1999 ...More

Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 16/10/1991-19/01/1992

The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 03/09/1986-30/11/1986; The Drawing Center, New York, 08/04/1986-26/07/1986

Master Drawings of the 17th century from the Witt Collection, Art Gallery of South Australia, Festival Exhibitions, Adelaide, 1968

Exhibition of Dutch Art 1450-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1929 ...Less

Literature

Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 46
pp. 100, 183
ill. on p. 101

The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 50
ill. on p. 125

Schneider, H. and R.E.O. Ekkart, Jan Lievens, sein Leben und seine Werke, Amsterdam and Israel 1973
pp. 30, 370, no. Z281 ...More

Dutch drawings from the Witt Collection: Part 1: Landscape, Courtauld Gallery, London, January - March 1972
cat. no. 46

Schneider, H., Jan Lievens, sein Leben und seine Werke, Haarlem 1932
no. Z281

Exhibition of Dutch Art 1450-1900, Royal Academy, London, 1929
no. 650 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Support (removed in portfolio from P&D): lower centre: hat with large pin stuck through (?).

Inscription: Recto: upper right corner, brown ink, L.2942: “ΘҐ ”; lower left corner, brown ink: "N14i"; lower centre edge, brown ink: ".50.". Verso: upper centre, brown ink, hand of Abraham Furnerius: "Jan Lievens de Jonghe". Support (removed, in portfolio from P&D): centre, graphite: “John Leivens. 1607.”; right centre, graphite: “No. 7. / 5 of this Master.”.

Collector's mark: Recto: upper right corner, brown ink: identified in 2022 Master Drawings article as Greek code probably inscribed by Dr Johannes Furnerius (L.2942) Support (removed, in portfolio from P&D): lower left corner, stamped in black ink: Sir Robert Witt (L.2228b).

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