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Lot Essay
Cornelis Springer was born in Amsterdam on 25 May 1817 to a family of ten children. His father, Willem Springer, was a building contractor and worked, for example, on the restoration of the Lutheran church in Amsterdam. All of Cornelis' brothers would follow their father's choice of career or became architects. Cornelis was the only one who would choose a different direction even though his family had a formative influence on him. Especially his oldest brother Hendrik Springer, an architect who taught him the principles of perspective and architectural drawing, was important for his further development as an artist. It was Hendrik who first awakened the enthusiasm for representing architectural subjects in the young Cornelis. In 1835, after he was taught by Jacobus van der Stok (1795-1864) and Hendrick Gerrit Ten Cate (1803-1856) at the Amsterdam Academy, he studied under the auspices of Kasparus Karsen (1810-1896). By that time, Karsen was already a celebrated townscape painter. In the two years that Springer was his apprentice he would learn how to create fantasy city views combined with topographically correct elements. He would continue painting these so called capriccio's until the mid 1850's, after which he dedicated himself to the representation of existing cityscapes. But he would always permit himself to change for example the course of illumination if that was benificial to the overall atmosphere of the painting.
The beautiful sunlit building on the right on which Springer focussed in this composition, is the Vleeshal, which was built in 1596 as is noted on the facade. This building was used as an abattoir but also functioned as a place to trade meats. Due to structural deterioration it was demolished in 1864, seven years after Springer painted the present lot. The white stone above the door of the Vleeshal was preserved and remains in the municipal collection of Veere to this day.
The elegant building on the left of the composition is the town hall, the construction of which commenced in 1474. It was designed by an architect from Middelburg, Evert Spoorwater and took three years to complete. Because of the many changes to the building over the centuries it is not exactly known what the town hall looked like when it was completed. The graceful tower was added in the 16th Century and its carillon is considered to be one of the finest in The Netherlands.
Springer clearly found this area of Veere inspiring as he painted a similar composition in 1860 (fig 2). He altered details like the facade of the house to the left of the town hall, the colour of the smallest house on the right, and the chimney on top of the tall house in the middle of the composition. The figures depicted in this painting are very different to those in the present lot.
Zeeland, the province in which Veere is located, has a strong tradition of local costumes. The women wore black chemises and black skirts, with large white caps and striking red coral necklaces. Men were usually dressed in black. The townspeople represented by Springer do not wear these folkloric costumes but are dressed in more colourful attire. Springer allowed himself this artistic freedom in order to be able to dot spots of colour around his composition making for a more lively and attractive whole.
The present painting is an outstanding example of Springer's competence and is a veritable tour de force within his overall production. The original condition of the painting and the fact it has not been on the art market for several generations, make it an impelling work of art of the highest calibre.
The beautiful sunlit building on the right on which Springer focussed in this composition, is the Vleeshal, which was built in 1596 as is noted on the facade. This building was used as an abattoir but also functioned as a place to trade meats. Due to structural deterioration it was demolished in 1864, seven years after Springer painted the present lot. The white stone above the door of the Vleeshal was preserved and remains in the municipal collection of Veere to this day.
The elegant building on the left of the composition is the town hall, the construction of which commenced in 1474. It was designed by an architect from Middelburg, Evert Spoorwater and took three years to complete. Because of the many changes to the building over the centuries it is not exactly known what the town hall looked like when it was completed. The graceful tower was added in the 16th Century and its carillon is considered to be one of the finest in The Netherlands.
Springer clearly found this area of Veere inspiring as he painted a similar composition in 1860 (fig 2). He altered details like the facade of the house to the left of the town hall, the colour of the smallest house on the right, and the chimney on top of the tall house in the middle of the composition. The figures depicted in this painting are very different to those in the present lot.
Zeeland, the province in which Veere is located, has a strong tradition of local costumes. The women wore black chemises and black skirts, with large white caps and striking red coral necklaces. Men were usually dressed in black. The townspeople represented by Springer do not wear these folkloric costumes but are dressed in more colourful attire. Springer allowed himself this artistic freedom in order to be able to dot spots of colour around his composition making for a more lively and attractive whole.
The present painting is an outstanding example of Springer's competence and is a veritable tour de force within his overall production. The original condition of the painting and the fact it has not been on the art market for several generations, make it an impelling work of art of the highest calibre.