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Lot Essay
The present impression, which comes with excellent provenances, is a fine example of the second state. It prints with considerable burr, especially in the tree at right, and a slightly darker area of plate tone at centre right, which suggests a patch of fog rising from the field. The first state of this plate, before the erasure of some cottages in the middle-ground at right, is known in seven impressions only and practically unobtainable.
It is a particularly charming landscape, with its rapidly sketched foreground, a Dutch village in the background and a fictitious view of mountains beyond. Yet it is precisely this blend of real and imaginary elements which have been the subject of much debate amongst scholars, in particular regarding the dating of the plate but also the sources of the image and the circumstances of its creation.
Traditionally, the print has been thought of as Rembrandt's last etched landscape and dated to 1653. Watermark research has since demonstrated that it must have been created at least five years earlier, around 1648, making it in fact the first of Rembrandt's landscape etchings to include some very picturesque but profoundly un-Netherlandish cliffs and mountains as a backdrop (see: Schneider, 1990, no. 33, p. 147-148). Most commentators agree that Rembrandt had taken inspiration for the mountainous background from woodcuts of Titian's circle, which Rembrandt may have had in his collection, or possibly from the prints of Hercules Seghers.
As for the village below the mountains, comparisons with some drawings of the period suggest that this might be a view of Diemen - or possibly Ouderkerk (see: Hinterding, 2008, no. 166, p. 388; and Ackley, 2004, p. 280-281). In any case, the sense that this part of the landscape was based on direct observation of a place in the vicinity of Amsterdam has led some scholars to speculate whether Rembrandt sketched the scene on the spot and directly onto the plate - a perennial discussion, which has also been raised concerning Six's Bridge (lot 36), The Bathers (lot 86) and other 'outdoor' subjects.
One final question has been there since cataloguers and collectors first mentioned the print in writing, and this concerns the title. In the past the print has alternatively been called 'het hadertje' (the little shepherd or herdsman) or 'het jagertje' (the little hunter). As late as 1990, the print was still referred to as Landscape with Shepherd and Sheep (see: Schneider, ibid.), but it seems a consensus has been reached that the figure and the animals depicted here are a hunter with his dogs. To confirm this, Cliff Ackley explained that the pole carried by the man is not a shepherd's staff, but a stick to flush out rabbits from their warren, which would then be pursued by the hounds.
The Landscape with Sportsman and Dog is a prime example for how much there is to speculate, research and discuss about a print which, at first glance, is just a beautiful landscape.
It is a particularly charming landscape, with its rapidly sketched foreground, a Dutch village in the background and a fictitious view of mountains beyond. Yet it is precisely this blend of real and imaginary elements which have been the subject of much debate amongst scholars, in particular regarding the dating of the plate but also the sources of the image and the circumstances of its creation.
Traditionally, the print has been thought of as Rembrandt's last etched landscape and dated to 1653. Watermark research has since demonstrated that it must have been created at least five years earlier, around 1648, making it in fact the first of Rembrandt's landscape etchings to include some very picturesque but profoundly un-Netherlandish cliffs and mountains as a backdrop (see: Schneider, 1990, no. 33, p. 147-148). Most commentators agree that Rembrandt had taken inspiration for the mountainous background from woodcuts of Titian's circle, which Rembrandt may have had in his collection, or possibly from the prints of Hercules Seghers.
As for the village below the mountains, comparisons with some drawings of the period suggest that this might be a view of Diemen - or possibly Ouderkerk (see: Hinterding, 2008, no. 166, p. 388; and Ackley, 2004, p. 280-281). In any case, the sense that this part of the landscape was based on direct observation of a place in the vicinity of Amsterdam has led some scholars to speculate whether Rembrandt sketched the scene on the spot and directly onto the plate - a perennial discussion, which has also been raised concerning Six's Bridge (lot 36), The Bathers (lot 86) and other 'outdoor' subjects.
One final question has been there since cataloguers and collectors first mentioned the print in writing, and this concerns the title. In the past the print has alternatively been called 'het hadertje' (the little shepherd or herdsman) or 'het jagertje' (the little hunter). As late as 1990, the print was still referred to as Landscape with Shepherd and Sheep (see: Schneider, ibid.), but it seems a consensus has been reached that the figure and the animals depicted here are a hunter with his dogs. To confirm this, Cliff Ackley explained that the pole carried by the man is not a shepherd's staff, but a stick to flush out rabbits from their warren, which would then be pursued by the hounds.
The Landscape with Sportsman and Dog is a prime example for how much there is to speculate, research and discuss about a print which, at first glance, is just a beautiful landscape.