A View of Gouda with the Townhall


Signed lower left
Oil on canvas
77.4 by 113 cm.


Willem Koekkoek was born in Amsterdam on 13th January 1839, the son of
Hermanus Koekkoek (1815?82), a name synonymous with 19th century Dutch
painting. Willem was grandson of Jan Hermanus Koekkoek (1778?1851) and
nephew to Barend Cornelis (1803?1862) and Marinus Adrianus (1807?1868)
while Johannes Barend Cornelis (1840?1912) was a first cousin.
Willem Koekkoek studied under his father Hermanus, a well?known marine
painter. Soon Willem found his own niche though, with the painting of town
scenes.


His fame grew quickly and in 1859, at the age of twenty, he had his first
exhibition in Leeuwarden. From that time on he frequently took part in various
exhibitions in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. In the 1880?s he
started to exhibit internationally. His younger brother, Hermanus Koekkoek
jr (1836?1909), had successfully started an art gallery in London, where he
introduced his brother?s work with his English collectors. The market for Dutch
town scenes flourished in The Netherlands and Great Britain, where a demand
for Dutch paintings had existed since the 17th century. With the industrialisation,
a growing affluent middle?class provided strong demand during the 19th
century, so Willem Koekkoek soon became very successful.


Like his competitors in his genre, such as Cornelis Springer (1817?1891) and his
pupil Adrianus Eversen (1818?1897), Willem travelled extensively, in search of
commissions and subject matter. He was not solely interested in topographical
correctness; very often he adapted the scenes so they became more picturesque,
a practice known as cappricio. In Gouda he was inspired by the town?s
beautiful, 15th century Gothic city hall. One of the oldest Gothic town halls, it
here is the sunlit centre of the composition. The surrounding market square is
depicted according Koekkoek?s own fantasy, with buildings and trees arranged
into a pleasing composition?a typical capriccio view.


The detailing in the scene is remarkable, from the life?like masonry of the
houses on the right to the carefully painted individual figures. The busy market
is filled with tradesmen, maidservants and elegant shoppers.
The carefully crafted composition, the attention to detail and the masterfulful
play of sunlight and shadow attest to Koekkoek?s talent. His work can be found
in museums in London, Amsterdam, Cleves and Montreal. The National Gallery
in London acquired a composition by Willem Koekkoek in 1982.


Provenance:
M. Newman Ltd., London;
Sale, London, Christie?s, 17 June 2004, lot 5;
With Kunsthandel Simonis en Buunk, Ede
Private collection, the Netherlands
Sale, Amsterdam, Christie?s, 27 October 2007, lot 261
Sale, Munich, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, 27 March 2009, lot 422;
Private collection, the Netherlands

Accepted Forms of Payment:

MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

COLLECTIONS AND SHIPPING?

Buyers are urgently requested to pay and collect their paid purchases at the place of sale, Amtrium RAI Amsterdam, Europaplein 22 Amsterdam during the sale or immediately after. Collection is not possible on Tuesday the 24th of may. Purchases not directly collected on the 22nd of may or 23rd of may will be collected by our preferred shippers and stored at their warehouses (see below). As from the 25th of may your purchased lot can be collected at the premises of our preferred Art Shippers. From this moment onwards, their general terms and conditions will apply.

DECORATIVE ARTS & FURNITURE

Neumann & Vettin?
Langs de Werf 18-20?
1185 XT Amstelveen?
T: +31 (0) 20- 6407584?
@: info@neumannenvettin.nl
Open every weekday Opening Hours: 10.00 - 17:00

Neumann & Vettin can arrange delivery for purchased lots.
Please contact them directly at above mentioned phonenumber or emailaddress.

JEWELLERY

For collecting your purchased lot(s) an individual appointment must be made. Please contact our of ce for further information. Storage costs will be charged for purchased lots from the 1st of june 2016.
* Fixed fee for warehousing and administration: €15,00 per lot?* Storagecharges per day: € 1,50 per lot?Above mentioned prices are excluding VAT (21%) and payable in advance by bankwire.

by Art Europe Auctions
May 23, 2016 12:00 PM CEST
Amtrium Rai, Europaplein 22
Amsterdam, Netherlands 1078 GZ

Art Europe Auctions

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 23% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
€0 €199 €10
€200 €299 €20
€300 €319 €20
€320 €379 €30
€380 €419 €20
€420 €479 €30
€480 €499 €20
€500 €999 €50
€1,000 €1,999 €100
€2,000 €2,999 €200
€3,000 €3,199 €200
€3,200 €3,799 €300
€3,800 €4,199 €200
€4,200 €4,799 €300
€4,800 €4,999 €200
€5,000 €9,999 €500
€10,000 €19,999 €1,000
€20,000 €29,999 €2,000
€30,000 €31,999 €2,000
€32,000 €37,999 €3,000
€38,000 €41,999 €2,000
€42,000 €47,999 €3,000
€48,000 €49,999 €2,000
€50,000 €99,999 €5,000
€100,000 + €10,000