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Lot Essay
Cornelis Springer (1817-1891), the greatest Dutch architectural painter of the 19th century, found special inspiration in the harbour town of Enkhuizen. This quiet town on the shores of what used to be the Zuiderzee, had lost nothing of its architectural glory in spite of its economic decline since the hayday of the 17th century. Springer frequently visited the town and its neighbouring village of Hoorn in the 1860s and 1870s, and made many sketches of its quaint houses and streets. Those executed prior to the realisation of the present winter view of Enkhuizen and its summer counterpart are all well documented.
This preparatory material clearly illustrates how the artist developed his theme: he started out with drawing a sketch on location. In his studio he subsequently executed a black and white chalk drawing with the measurements intended for his final oil painting (see illustration of the study for the summer version). To this composition-study, the artist added figures and adapted the architectural details according to his fancy. In the present painting there is a greater distance between the Drommedaris tower and the row of houses on the left and right, giving a broader optical impression. Furthermore, Springer elongated the facades of the houses on either side of the street. In contrast to other famous contemporaries, such as Barend Cornelis Koekkoek and Andreas Schelfhout, Springer painted relatively few winter scenes, but this has not prevented him from capturing the full essence of a sunny winter day in Holland in the present painting. The winter sunlight filters through the whole composition. The artist has paid exceptional care to expressing all the seasonal differences. In comparison with the summer view, the windows are now shut, the sails on the ships in the distance are lowered and even the text on the gable of one of the houses has been adapted to the season. All the figures are warmly dressed and children are having fun with their dog in the snow: a testimony of a quintessential winter day in Holland.
Compare with the summer version of the same subject, dated 1866, which was sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, 23 April 2001, lot 229, ill.
This preparatory material clearly illustrates how the artist developed his theme: he started out with drawing a sketch on location. In his studio he subsequently executed a black and white chalk drawing with the measurements intended for his final oil painting (see illustration of the study for the summer version). To this composition-study, the artist added figures and adapted the architectural details according to his fancy. In the present painting there is a greater distance between the Drommedaris tower and the row of houses on the left and right, giving a broader optical impression. Furthermore, Springer elongated the facades of the houses on either side of the street. In contrast to other famous contemporaries, such as Barend Cornelis Koekkoek and Andreas Schelfhout, Springer painted relatively few winter scenes, but this has not prevented him from capturing the full essence of a sunny winter day in Holland in the present painting. The winter sunlight filters through the whole composition. The artist has paid exceptional care to expressing all the seasonal differences. In comparison with the summer view, the windows are now shut, the sails on the ships in the distance are lowered and even the text on the gable of one of the houses has been adapted to the season. All the figures are warmly dressed and children are having fun with their dog in the snow: a testimony of a quintessential winter day in Holland.
Compare with the summer version of the same subject, dated 1866, which was sold at Sotheby's Amsterdam, 23 April 2001, lot 229, ill.