by-nc

Landscape with oak tree

Maker

(artist)
1596-1656

Title

Landscape with oak tree

Date of Production

1630 - 1639

Medium

black chalk, carbon grey wash on laid paper, with brown ink framing line

Dimensions

Height: 13 cm
Width: 15.9 cm

Accession Number

D.1952.RW.4065

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

Rendered with rapid, curling strokes, this oak seems to vibrate with energy, an impression underscored by the powerful diagonal thrust of its gnarled trunk. The sheet has been cropped at the upper edge, apparently by the artist himself, bringing the oak closer to the viewer and enhancing its immediacy. Van Goyen laid in the gently rolling landscape in the background in subtle ink washes that throw the solitary tree into higher relief.

Notes

This square format is unique in van Goyen's oeuvre. The degree of finish suggests it was conceived as a completed composition.

Provenance

Helene de Beer, London (1898-1984); purchased from her by Colnaghi (London), 31 January 1949; purchased there by Sir Robert Witt, London (1872-1952), 1 February 1949 (£12); Witt Bequest 1952

Exhibition History

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

Drawings Gallery Display - Regarding Trees, The Courtauld Gallery, London, 18/06/2016-25/09/2016

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 ...More

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

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 from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, 17/11/1962-22/12/1962

Jan van Goyen, Stedelijk Museum, Leiden and Gemeentemuseum, Arnhem, 04/06/1960-26/09/1960 ...Less

Literature

Master Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Institute Galleries, London, 1991
cat. no. 39
pp. 86, 181
p. 87

Farr, Dennis, 100 Masterpieces from the Courtauld Collections, London: Courtauld Institute Galleries, 1987
p. 152
ill. p. 153

The Northern Landscape: Flemish, Dutch and British Drawings from the Courtauld Collections, Courtauld Gallery, London, 1986
cat. no. 40
p. 105 ...More

Dutch drawings from the Witt Collection: Part 1: Landscape, Courtauld Gallery, London, January - March 1972
cat. no. 7

Beck, Hans-Ulrich, Jan van Goyen 1596-1656: ein Oeuvre-verzeichnis, vol. I, Amsterdam 1972
no. 787

Anthony Blunt and Philip Troutman, Master Drawings from the Witt and Courtauld Collections, 1962
cat. no. 23 ...Less

Inscriptions

Watermark: Watermark: none.

Inscription: Verso: left lower edge, graphite: "PJ1306"; lower right, graphite, Colnaghi number: "A. 16107"; lower right corner, graphite: "10".

Collector's mark: none.

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