Barend Cornelis Koekkoek

Robert Stone Gallery, Virginia, America

Private collection, America (sale: Christie's, Amsterdam, 25 April 2007, lot 245)

Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

A pivotal figure in the evolution of Dutch nineteenth century painting, Koekkoek was born in Middleburg and trained, like his brothers, under his father Johannes Hermanus (1778-1851) before joining the Academy in Amsterdam. Quickly, Cornelis' landscapes earned an international renown which placed him in the vanguard of Dutch romanticism. In 1856, the essence of this movement was identified by an anonymous writer reviewing the Paris Exposition Universelle, 'An eye open to nature's representation- in these the Dutch excel, showing themselves thoroughly impregnated with the spirit and teachings of their forefathers...' (Kunstkronijk, No. VXII, 1856) Works by such artists as Andrea Schelfhout and Koekkoek were inspired by the Dutch Golden Age landscapists. There was during the Romantic movement in Holland in the ninteenth century a resurgence of aesthetic and commercial interest in such masters as Hobbema and Wynants- both of whom find generous echoes in A winter landscape with skaters.

We are grateful to Guido de Werd who has kindly confirmed the authenticity of this work.