.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Wouterus Verschuur was born on the 11 of June 1812 as the son of an Amsterdam jeweller. He was a student of Pieter Gerardus van Os (1776-1839) and Cornelis Steffelaar (1796-1861). In the year the present lot was executed, the artist was appointed a member of the Akademie voor Beeldende Kunsten and of the Koninklijk Nederlands Instituut in Amsterdam at the young age of 21.
The present lot depicts a 'wed', a shallow place in the river where travellers could cross. The building on the right of the composition is castle Stapelen, near Boxtel, in the south of the Netherlands. Stapelen, also known as the 'Huis te Boxtel', is situated on an island in the river Dommel. The castle was first mentioned in 1293 but the estate was already known around 1100. The castle has a rich history, having had both William of Orange and Louis the 14th of France as its guests. Throughout the long history of the castle changes have been made to its appearance, most notably in 1857 when a neo-gothic façade and other additions where made. The façade, as it was before 1857, can be seen in illustrations predating the remoddeling such as the present lot and an engraving (see illustration) by J.F. Christ (1790-184) . The Assumptionist monks were the last occupants of the castle after it had been left to their order in 1915. The castle has now been partially been converted into a museum and is partially lived in by monks of the before mentioned order.
The present lot is a typical example of the artist's early work as it is realistic and sober.
We wish to thank the Iconographisch Bureau/RKD, The Hague, for its help in cataloguing this lot.
The present lot depicts a 'wed', a shallow place in the river where travellers could cross. The building on the right of the composition is castle Stapelen, near Boxtel, in the south of the Netherlands. Stapelen, also known as the 'Huis te Boxtel', is situated on an island in the river Dommel. The castle was first mentioned in 1293 but the estate was already known around 1100. The castle has a rich history, having had both William of Orange and Louis the 14th of France as its guests. Throughout the long history of the castle changes have been made to its appearance, most notably in 1857 when a neo-gothic façade and other additions where made. The façade, as it was before 1857, can be seen in illustrations predating the remoddeling such as the present lot and an engraving (see illustration) by J.F. Christ (1790-184) . The Assumptionist monks were the last occupants of the castle after it had been left to their order in 1915. The castle has now been partially been converted into a museum and is partially lived in by monks of the before mentioned order.
The present lot is a typical example of the artist's early work as it is realistic and sober.
We wish to thank the Iconographisch Bureau/RKD, The Hague, for its help in cataloguing this lot.