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River Port Scene, Herman Saftleven, 17th Century Oil on Wood Dutch Painting

Name: River Port Scene, Herman Saftleven, 17th Century Oil on Wood Dutch Painting
Brand: Herman Saftleven

$20,323.35List Price

About the Item

Herman Saftleven( Rotterdam 1609-Utrecht 1685) Harbor scene (Probably the Reno river or Moselle in Germany) Oil on wood Signed on the wood on the back He was born into a family of artists: Both his father Herman, who was his first teacher and the brothers Cornelis and Abraham were painters. He probably also studied with Jan van Goyen. The first paintings of this author of which we have news, were executed in 1630 during his apprenticeship in Rotterdam. Prior to this year, only engravings and shepherds were known, showing the influence of Willem Buytewech. In 1632 Saftleven settled in Utrecht, where he married in 1633 with Anna van Vliet, from whom he had two sons, Dirck (d. 1679) and Herman (d. before 1685) and two daughters, Sara (married in 1671 with Jacob Adriaenszoon Broers) and Levina (wife of Paul Dalbach). In the following years he collaborated with his brother Cornelis on interior paintings of barns, a subject that later became his specialty. In 1635 he helped decorate the palace of Honselaersdijck of Prince Frederick Henry of Orange, south of The Hague. A landscape painted by Herman Saftleven II He painted Italian landscapes in whose style the influence of Cornelis van Poelenburch is noted, but, from 1645, Saftleven abandoned this way to devote himself to the reproduction of Dutch landscapes, probably induced by the visit in 1644 in the eastern Dutch province of Gelderland. From 1639 he lived in Achter Sint Pieter at number 7 in the heart of Utrecht. Around 1650 Saftleven traveled to Germany, where he made numerous sketches from which he painted panoramic views of the Rhine and Moselle rivers, executed in a particular shade of blue and for which it is mainly known. In addition to topographically accurate landscapes of the Rhine region, it represented imaginary views, which are influenced by the rugged fictitious mountain landscapes of Roelant Savery [6] and wooded landscapes in the manner of Alexander Keirinckx and Jan Both. At that time, travel was quite difficult and landscape paintings and prints allowed people to conjure up remote and exotic lands. In 1659 he became a citizen of Utrecht. He executed several drawings and engravings of views of his adoptive city, including the Panoramic View of Utrecht (1648 and 1669). He was part of the local Corporation of San Luca, which he served several times as Deputy Chief and Dean. In 1662 he combined the sale of part of the collection of the Count of Arundel to Utrecht. In 1664 a hurricane destroyed the city. On the occasion of this tragic event Saftleven performed several sketches of many houses and devastated streets. Around 1682 he sold to the municipality a series of twenty-two drawings depicting the churches of Utrecht before the destruction of 1664. Between 1680 and 1684 the botanist and collector Agnes Block commissioned him to design flowers and plants for his Vijverhof estate, located on the Vecht River, near Utrecht. Over 1200 drawings of this author's landscapes have survived to the present day, mostly large-scale collectors' compositions [6], such as the thirty-seven sheets produced for the Atlas van der Hem, prepared by the Amsterdam lawyer Laurens van der Hem from 1663-1666 [4]. Saftleven also made precise drawings of the areas around Utrecht and along the Rhine. In addition to this kind of painting he also carried out studies of figures such as Young Shepherd leaning on his stick, in which the artist emphasizes the play of light and shadow on the boy's body. He was influenced by Adriaen Brouwer. He was also active as an engraver and etcher [6]. In addition to the first engravings dating from 1627, Saftleven completed a series of landscapes, circa 1640 and then, from 1644, made engravings of Italian landscapes in the style of Jan Both. Jan van Almeloveen and Jan van Aken, who worked for Saftleven a few times, emulated his landscape prints. During his lifetime, he was one of the best-known artists in the Netherlands [4] [6]. After his death and until the 19th century his works were much sought after and frequently copied, for example by Jan Griffier I, whose copies were often mistaken for Saftleven's originals. Among his pupils were brothers Jan and Willem van Bemmel and Jan van Bunnick. He influenced several German painters of the 18th century, such as Johann Christian Vollerdt, Christian Hilfgott Brand, Johann Christian Brand, Christian Georg Schütz and his nephew, Christian Georg Schütz II. The measurement shown is of the painting without frame. Italian Fine Arts Authority must check this item in order to allow its exportation. This process lasts about 60 days.

Creator:
Herman Saftleven (Author)
Dimensions:
Height: 8.67 in (22 cm)Width: 11.42 in (29 cm)Depth: 1.97 in (5 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Wood,Oiled
Place of Origin:
Netherlands
Period:
1650-1659
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1650
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Rome, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU4882115632032