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a painting of boats in a body of water with a castle in the backgroundan image of a painting of a harbor scene with boats in the wateran oil painting of boats on a river with a castle in the backgroundan image of a wooden frame with a woven pattern on ita painting of a group of people in a boat on the watera sculpture of a man standing in front of a painting in a room
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88 - Jan van GOYEN (Leiden, 1596 – The Hague, 1656) Fishing boats…
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Estimate €50,000 - €70,000
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Description
Jan van GOYEN (Leiden, 1596 – The Hague, 1656) Fishing boats on a shore under a heavy sky Oil on oak panel, two planks, parquet-joined Monogrammed and dated ‘VG 1655’ on the boat on the left Fishing boats on a shore under a heavy sky, oil on oak panel, dated, by J. van Goyen 18.89 x 25.98 in. 48 x 66 cm Provenance: Collection of Baron Étienne-Edmond Martin de Beurnonville (1782–1876), Paris; His estate sale, Paris, 3 Rue Chaptal, Maître Pillet, 9–16 May 1881, lot 291; Charles Sedelmeyer Gallery, in 1898, bearing his red wax seal on the reverse; Rodolphe Kann Collection, Paris, in 1907; Joseph Duveen Gallery, London; Knoedler & Co. Gallery, Paris, in 1912; Collection of Nathan James Edouard (1844–1881) and Laura Thérèse de Rothschild (1847–1931); The estate sale following the death of the latter, Paris, Hôtel Drouot, Maître Ader, 15–16 June 1933, lot 40; Albert Stöcker Collection (1909–1987); Private European collection Exhibitions: Illustrated Catalogue of 300 paintings by Old Masters, Paris, Sedelmeyer Gallery, 1898, pp. 54–55, no. 42 Catalogue of the Rodolphe Kann collection, Paris, 1907, no. 38 Bibliography: Cornelis Hofstede de Groot, Descriptive and Critical Catalogue of the Works of the Most Outstanding Dutch Painters of the 17th Century, vol. 8, Esslingen, 1923, p. 269, no. 1100  Hans-Ulrich Beck, Jan van Goyen, 1596–1656: A Catalogue Raisonné, vol. II, Amsterdam, 1973, p. 405, no. 897  This panel, painted during Jan van Goyen’s late period, bears witness to the painter’s virtuosity, as he succeeds in conveying, through simple methods, all the poetry of 17th-century Dutch seascapes. The painting centres on the calm waters of a channel in the foreground, whose surface—streaked with subtle brushstrokes—reflects the light of the cloudy sky like a mirror. On the left, fishermen are hauling in their nets from their boat, whilst the right-hand side of the composition is occupied by a harbour building, where boats are piled up. In the background, the horizon line, dotted with a few sketched sailing ships, merges with the sea and the sky. The artist employs his own distinctive colour palette, limited to shades of brown and grey, with a fluid yet always visible brushstroke. The clouds, the true subjects of his landscapes, fill the threatening sky and seem to glide across the surface of the panel. A prolific artist, Jan van Goyen is regarded as one of the founders of the Dutch ‘realist’ landscape. Through his works, he captures the Dutch atmosphere, with its brackish waters and majestic grey skies, to which he devotes three-quarters of this composition. This work was, in fact, engraved at the end of the 19th century, bearing witness to its success1. 1. Ludovic-Mendès Monsanto (active c. 1865–1890) after Jan van Goyen, Riverbank in Holland, etching, 13.7 x 17.1 cm, 1880–1881, one copy held at the Delaware Art Museum, 1979-157 Jan van GOYEN (Leiden, 1596 – The Hague, 1656) 48 x 66 cm
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About the sale The Rothschild taste, passed down through the generations: A pied-à-terre on the Champ-de-Mars
Auction location
Auction time 09/22/2026 at 2:30 PM
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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