Interior of the Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam

In the 1840s recognition for Springer’s work was growing quickly. He excelled at painting detailed town views and his romantic visions of 17th century Holland were very popular. He was being awarded a silver medal in 1843 and a gold medal in 1847. In 1850 he became an honoury member of the Koninklijke Academie van Beeldende Kunsten in Amsterdam and from that period Springer had attained such renown that he only worked on commission for private collectors and art dealers. A waiting list of two years in this period was testimony to the great popularity of his work.

The present lot is a rare example of a church interior by the hand of the artist and depicts the gothic Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam. Springer received great acclaim for the present painting. The art society Arti et Amicitae awarded the painter a Gold Medal in 1846 for this work, when a year later, in 1847 he won the Gold Medal at the exhibition Levende Meesters at the Felix Meritis, Amsterdam. Considering the masterful detailing and superb play of light and shadow within the different architectural elements, one can assume Springer relied on his preliminary sketches or perhaps his 'romantic' imagination. It has been suggested Springer painted the present church as a celebration of his own marriage, which took place on 7 May 1846 in the Nieuwe Kerk, the same year in which the present lot was painted.