View of the Valkhof in Nijmegen, Jan van Goyen (manner of), c. 1650
Oil On Panel
Dutch Golden Age
1650
Early Modern
25.0 x 31.0 cm
Upon examination in 2003 it was discovered that this View of the Valkhof in Nijmegen is a mutilated fragment of a larger composition. Prior to 1878, when the painting was sold with its present dimensions, the horizontally joined planks were separated, and a horizontal strip approximately 6 cm wide was removed from the top of the lower plank. The sides and the top were also cut down, resulting in a severely damaged painting. The Valkhof, which in reality stands on a hill, has been brought down to the waterside, while the city wall, which served to keep back the river, and much of the bastion in the foreground, the Stratemakerstoren, look as if they are being swallowed up by the waters of the Waal.3 The Valkhof in Nijmegen was one of the favorite subjects of Jan van Goyen and his followers (cf. SK-A-122 and SK-C-519).4 This painting, too, was executed under the influence of Van Goyen. It is not just the subject that is similar; so are the monochrome use of colour, the loose brushwork, and the technique with the thin, whitish or transparent ground. The panel has a false Van Goyen signature,5 and after its purchase was added to the museum’s inventory as a work by Frans de Momper. However, there is no firm ground for an attribution to De Momper. Gerdien Wuestman, 2007 See Bibliography and Rijksmuseum painting catalogues See Key to abbreviations and Acknowledgements This entry was published in J. Bikker (ed.), Dutch Paintings of the Seventeenth Century in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, I: Artists Born between 1570 and 1600, coll. cat. Amsterdam 2007, no. 101.
jan josephszoon van goyen (1596 – 1656)
Discover Jan van Goyen (1596-1656), Dutch Master of Golden Age landscapes! Explore his serene river scenes, tonal painting & influence on artists like Steen. View art @ ArtsDot.
About this artwork
- Title: View of the Valkhof in Nijmegen, Jan van Goyen (manner of), c. 1650
- Artist: jan josephszoon van goyen
- Year: 1650
- Original dimensions: 25.0 x 31.0 cm
- Format: Landscape
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Period: Early Modern
- Corpus context: part of prolific output , dutch golden age landscape
- Color palette: Dark
- Main color: Khaki
Quick Facts
- Year: c. 1650
- Dimensions: 25 x 31 cm
- Influences: Jan van Goyen
- Title: View of the Valkhof in Nijmegen
- Notable elements or techniques: Monochrome color, loose brushwork
- Artistic style: Atmospheric landscape