Beschreibung:

The Property of a Family
Joos de MomperAntwerp 1564 - 1635An extensive mountainous landscape with travellers on a path, with a castle and the sea beyond
oil on canvasunframed: 158.5 x 204 cm.; 62⅜ x 80¼ in.framed: 164.5 x 209.5 cm.; 64¾ x 82½ in.Condition reportThe canvas is lined and the paint surface is stable. The entire paint surface is covered in a layer of old varnish which is slightly dirty and dried. There is evidence of well preserved impasto found in the rocks of the landscape, the mountains, the figures, the trees, and in the blues in the right side of the distance. There is evidence of retouching found in the sky, particularly along two vertical lines (running nearly the entire length) located approximately one third from the left margin. One of these repairs contains retouching in a round formation, only visible with a bright torch. There are also very minor retouchings visible in the ground, and in the lower right corner. Inspection under ultraviolet light reveals retouching throughout the sky, and strengthening in the darks of the mountains, ground, blue distant background, and in very minor areas of the figures. The figures appear to be relatively untouched. Overall, the painting presents very well and is in good condition, especially considering its age and size. The work is offered in a frame.
Please note that Condition 12 of the Conditions of Business for Buyers (Online Only) is not applicable to this lot.
The lot is sold in the condition it is in at the time of sale. The condition report is provided to assist you with assessing the condition of the lot and is for guidance only. Any reference to condition in the condition report for the lot does not amount to a full description of condition. The images of the lot form part of the condition report for the lot. Certain images of the lot provided online may not accurately reflect the actual condition of the lot. In particular, the online images may represent colors and shades which are different to the lot's actual color and shades. The condition report for the lot may make reference to particular imperfections of the lot but you should note that the lot may have other faults not expressly referred to in the condition report for the lot or shown in the online images of the lot. The condition report may not refer to all faults, restoration, alteration or adaptation. The condition report is a statement of opinion only. For that reason, the condition report is not an alternative to taking your own professional advice regarding the condition of the lot. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ONLINE CONDITION REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE/BUSINESS APPLICABLE TO THE RESPECTIVE SALE.ProvenanceAnonymous sale, London, Christie's, 29 June 1979, lot 63;
Anonymous sale, London, Christie's, 11 July 1980, lot 73;
Where acquired by the father of the present owners.LiteratureK. Ertz, Josse de Momper der Jüngere, Freren 1986, p. 543, no. 271, reproduced in colour on p. 545.Catalogue noteThis monumental canvas by Joos de Momper has been in the same private collection in the Rhineland for the last forty-two years. Painted during the 1620s, and in a good state of preservation, Flemish landscapes of this scale and quality are rarely encountered on the art market.
In Van Dyck’s Iconographie, a series of prints of his portraits reproducing the likenesses of approximately one hundred famous nobles, scholars, and artists, the artist is described as ‘Judocus de Momper Pictor montium Antwerpiae’ (‘Joos de Momper Antwerp Painter of mountains’).1 This canvas is a record of de Momper's extraordinary abilities for capturing both the textures and feeling of mountains. Thick and bold preserved brushwork is found throughout, providing a rich variety of qualities of rock and earth. Despite the sheer size of the picture, no expense has been spared in achieving subtle colouring, which ranges from deep earthy reds to oranges, mustard yellows, greys and deep lustrous blues in the landscape and sea beyond. Following in the Flemish tradition of landscape painting, various planes of colour are employed to create a convincing and beautiful sense of depth, which allows the eye at first to enjoy the rich details in the foreground and then the landscape and sea beyond.
The drama of this particular composition is heightened by the inclusion of figures which are seen battling through the unforgiving and dramatic landscape around them. Various small scenes can be spotted that evoke emotions of pity and despair. In the middle ground is a packhorse which has just buckled under the weight of its heavy load. In the left foreground is a family of beggars, shown trying to seek the charity of indifferent travelers passing by. The sheer ambition, mood and scale of this painting prefigures the attempts of Romantic painters centuries later in capturing notions of the sublime in painted mountain ranges, subjects which attracted painters such as J.M.W. Turner, John Martin and countless others in the nineteenth century.
Klaus Ertz (see Literature) dates the work to the 1620s, observing that the figures were painted by Jan Brueghel the Younger (1600–1678), who returned to Antwerp in 1625 to take over the family workshop from his father Jan Brueghel the Elder, who died that year.
1 https://www.europeana.eu/en/item/9200495/yoolib_inha_782