Wooded Landscape With Stream, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (middelburg 1803 – Cleves 1862)

Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (Middelburg 1803 – Cleves 1862)
attributable

Wooded landscape with stream

oil on canvas
72 x 91 cm - framed 93 x 113 cm

https://www.antichitacastelbarco.it/en/product/paesaggio-boscoso-con-ruscello

This evocative wooded view with imposing oak trees crossed by a stream and a couple of travellers resting near a small bridge is a work executed with quality and skill in detail, attributable to the Flemish artist Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803 – 1862).

He achieved international fame as one of the most important landscape painters of his generation, known for his romantic views, caressed by a particular golden light, which earned him the nickname “Prince of Landscape Painting”.

The painter carefully studied 17th-century Dutch landscape painters, revealing a careful study and synthesis of his predecessors; in particular, his main source of inspiration was the work of Jacob van Ruisdael (Haarlem 1628 - Amsterdam 1682), so much so that he could be described as his follower.

He often reproduced already famous works, considering them akin to his own sensibility, as in our case the landscape entitled “Oaks along a stream” painted around 1670 by Jacob van Ruisdael, at the time part of the collection of King Maximilian I Joseph (now in the Alte Pinakothek in Munich).
LINK: https://www.sammlung.pinakothek.de/en/artwork/5RGQ17jGz3

We know that Koekkoek revisited this particular subject several times: one of these versions, signed and slightly smaller, was sold at Clars Auction Gallery in Oakland (auction of 15 September 2019, lot 762, estimate: $12,000 - 15,000, link: https://live.clars.com/lots/view/1-2786AG/painting-barend-cornelis-koekkoek?utm_source=mutualart&....

Koekkoek's works were recognised and appreciated throughout Europe and the artist was awarded gold medals at the Paris Salons, boasting important European royal families among his patrons, including the heir to the Dutch throne, Prince William II, King Frederick William IV of Prussia and Russian Crown Prince Alexander, who amassed a large collection of the artist's works.

Magnificent romantic landscapes form the core of his work, and even today, his paintings are highly regarded for their lively composition and nostalgic atmosphere, in which the Dutch golden age seems to persist. Just as he was during his lifetime, Koekkoek is widely considered the most skilled landscape painter of Dutch Romanticism. His landscapes, especially those signed, fetch very high prices.
For example:
- Christie's New York, 17 January 2023, Wooded Landscape with Travellers near a Stream
https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/european-art/barend-cornelis-koekkoek-dutch-1803-1862-36/174071
- Sotheby's New York, 22 May 2025, A wooded landscape with cattle grazing near a stream
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2025/master-paintings/wooded-landscape-at-dusk
- Sotheby’s New York, 27 January 2022, A wooded landscape with cattle grazing near a stream
https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/the-european-art-sale/a-wooded-landscape-with-grazing-c...
- Lempertz Cologne, 14 November 2015, Landscape with trees and cows near a stream
https://www.lempertz.com/en/catalogues/lot/1057-1/1643-barend-cornelis-koekkoek.html


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

The painting is sold complete with an attractive frame and comes with a certificate of authenticity and a descriptive iconographic card.

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