Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape with Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting

19th century

Sold by Brave Fine Art

Description

This fine mid-19th-century oil on panel by Dutch artist Pieter Caspar Christ (1822-1888) depicts a woodland landscape with distant cottages under a cloudy sky.

Standing under the bough of an ancient oak, a figure admires the vista. From here, atop a craggy vantage point, the view extends across the plains below. Nature towers over man with irrepressible strength as it has done for centuries. Here’s a landscape grounded in tradition that carries a deep respect for the natural world and pays homage to the artist’s Golden Age forebears.

The Dutch were painting in this style for hundreds of years and remain unsurpassed as masters of the art. Each generation informed the next, from the 17th-century luminaries, such as Jacob van Ruisdael, through to the 19th-century followers, such as Pieter Caspar Christ and his father, Johannes. When you’ve reached the pinnacle of naturalistic landscapes, why change?

This work serves as a fascinating example of the rich Dutch heritage. Pieter’s father was trained by Jacob van Eynden II (1733-1824) who owned a remarkable art collection. Van Eynden II was in turn trained by his father, Jacob van Eynden I (1696-1775), an art teacher from Nijmegen. And if you follow this thread of tuition, you arrive in the 17th century. Consider the similarities between this painting and Jacob van Ruisdael’s ‘Entrance to a Forest’ from around 1660. Note how the foliage and clouds are particularly similar.

Echoes of the Golden Age painters still reverberate through today’s landscapes - as they always will. In this piece from around 1860, Pieter Caspar Christ is painting with a loaded brush.

Signed and held within a later frame.

Medium: Oil on panel

Overall size: 25½” x 29” / 75cm x 65cm

Year of creation: c. 1860

Condition: Artwork presents well. Frame with some light wear.

Artist’s auction maximum: £3,708

Pieter Caspar Christ was trained by his father Johannes Franciscus Christ (1790-1845). The museums at Nijmegen and Arnhem hold examples of his work.

Learn more about Pieter Caspar Christ in our directory.

Physical Dimensions

Height

65cm (25.59")

Width

75cm (29.53")

Depth

5cm (1.97")

Declaration

Brave Fine Art has dated this piece to the 1860s.

Reference Numbers

Sellingantiques Reference

SA973531

Description

This fine mid-19th-century oil on panel by Dutch artist Pieter Caspar Christ (1822-1888) depicts a woodland landscape with distant cottages under a cloudy sky.

Standing under the bough of an ancient oak, a figure admires the vista. From here, atop a craggy vantage point, the view extends across the plains below. Nature towers over man with irrepressible strength as it has done for centuries.

“

Here’s a landscape grounded in tradition that carries a deep respect for the natural world and pays homage to the artist’s Golden Age forebears.

Brave Fine Art

fig 1. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape With Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting — fig 1. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape with Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting

The Dutch were painting in this style for hundreds of years and remain unsurpassed as masters of the art. Each generation informed the next, from the 17th-century luminaries, such as Jacob van Ruisdael, through to the 19th-century followers, such as Pieter Caspar Christ and his father, Johannes. When you’ve reached the pinnacle of naturalistic landscapes, why change?

fig 2. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape With Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting — fig 2. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape with Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting

This work serves as a fascinating example of the rich Dutch heritage. Pieter’s father was trained by Jacob van Eynden II (1733-1824) who owned a remarkable art collection. Van Eynden II was in turn trained by his father, Jacob van Eynden I (1696-1775), an art teacher from Nijmegen. And if you follow this thread of tuition, you arrive in the 17th century. Consider the similarities between this painting and Jacob van Ruisdael’s ‘Entrance to a Forest’ from around 1660. Note how the foliage and clouds are particularly similar.

fig 3. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape With Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting — fig 3. Pieter Caspar Christ, Woodland Landscape with Distant Cottages - Antique Oil Painting

Echoes of the Golden Age painters still reverberate through today’s landscapes - as they always will. In this piece from around 1860, Pieter Caspar Christ is painting with a loaded brush.

Signed and held within a later frame.