Landscape and Idyll: Dutch Paintings of the 19th Century

The auction of 19th century paintings on 10 May 2022 will offer a top-class selection of Dutch paintings by artists such as Charles Leickert, Hermanus Koekkoek, Fernand Toussaint, Adriana Johanna van Haanen and Margaretha Roosenboom from a Viennese collection.

A special focus is on landscape depictions: Sun-drenched village views, seascapes with dramatic cloud panoramas and windswept ocean waves can be found on the canvases, as well as snow-covered church squares and mirror-smooth ice surfaces.

The Dutch Landscape

Dutch landscape painting of the 19th century follows a great tradition. It is oriented towards the landscape depictions of the 17th century, the Golden Age of Dutch painting. The wealth of that time, the supremacy in trade and shipping, the import of goods and ideas, the rising bourgeoisie also helped the fine arts to flourish. The self-confidence of the trading power became apparent in the field of landscape depiction with its focus on domestic landscapes. Typical of Dutch landscape painting of the time is the close-up view and the low horizon. Due to the great popularity of these paintings among the collecting bourgeoisie, the painters specialised in various types of landscapes such as forest landscapes, snow landscapes or similar.

The landscape painters of the 19th century deliberately placed themselves in this old tradition; in terms of the history of ideas, they wanted to tie in with the Golden Age. In addition, from the beginning of the 19th century a programmatic promotion of art was initiated. Museums and collections were created, which made it possible for young painters to copy old models. In addition to studying the models, however, studying in front of nature up to and including open-air painting became increasingly important. Realistic motifs in a detailed, romantically idealised style of painting became the hallmark of 19th century landscape painting, as can be seen very clearly in the paintings of Hermanus Koekkoek or Charles Leickert.

Flower Still Lifes and Genre Paintings

In addition to landscape paintings, atmospheric flower still lifes and charming genre scenes from the collection will be auctioned. One can almost smell the fragrance of the fully blossomed roses in the paintings by Adriana Johanna van Haanen and Margaretha Roosenboom. The paintings by Fernand Toussaint and Nicolaas Steffelaar offer a glimpse into the parlours and fashions of the time. Fernand Toussaint enjoyed great success with the contemporary public with his idealised depictions of fashionable young ladies. The portrait of the young “Connaisseuse” studying Japanese prints in front of an oriental vase in the background shows the enthusiasm for Japan of European society of the time at its peak.