A Landscape with Cattle by a Barn on a Rise, a palace beyond

J.A. Knip was not only the founder, but also the most important member of several generations of artists in his family that included his daughter Henriette Ronner-Knip (1821-1909), famous for her pictures of cats. He worked in Den Bosch, near his native town Tilburg, moving to Paris in 1801 where he stayed until 1809. Louis Napoleon was among his patrons. From 1809 to 1812 he worked in Italy, returning to Holland in 1812. The present landscape would seem to combine motifs that Knip would have seen in France and Italy, such as the palace in the background, the pine trees and the ruin at the left. This landscape may therefore be dated to after his return to Holland in 1812, in fact E. Bergvelt suggested a dating of circa 1818. The classical architecture and small footpaths may also be observed in his works in bodycolours sold at Christie's, New York, 30 January 1998, lot 401.