17th Century Dutch Paintings - Part 4 :Masterpieces from Mount Stuart - The Bute Collection and National Galleries of Scotland

The gallery on the Mound in Edinburgh has a collection of Dutch masterpieces including Rembrandt and Franz Hals.  I can remember the Mound Collection from my childhood; and the Skating Minister by Naysmith and Titian’s Three Ages of Man are pictures I can remember when at school. 

I had heard about the Mount Stuart collection of the Marquis of Bute and about the exhibition from some publicity and when visiting the Lusieri exhibition a guard mentioned the Masterpieces from Mount Stuart.   (http://www.nationalgalleries.org/whatson/368/masterpieces-from-mount-stuart)  I decided on 24^th August 2012 to go on my own. 

I checked in at the information desk and was taken to the octagon shaped gallery (3, I think) and started my tour.  I tried out my knowledge of the Jan Steen genre painting on the staff member but it was not a Steen.  The first painting which I thought was a Jan Steen turned out to be by another artist. 

The staff member told me about the exhibition and had been quite envious of the colleagues who had been to Mount Stuart on the Isle of Bute (Rothesay)  in gathering the pictures. (http://www.mountstuart.com/)  I did manage to get the curatorial gossip on the collection.  I checked where the other 17^th Century pictures were and was given instructions on where they were located. 

I worked my way round the room and was faced with something very familiar.  It was a view of the Great Kirk in Haarlem by Gerrit Berckheyde.  We had studied one like it in the National Gallery in London.( http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/17th-century-dutch-paintings-golden-age.html )  That picture had set me off on my discovery of these paintings which have so much to offer in terms of clarity, colour and narrative. 

I moved round the room and spotted two Albert Cuyps.  For verification I asked complete strangers to read out the picture labels and so far it had been one wrong and 3 correct.  My fifth guess of a possible artist was wrong and I decided to get the catalogue and come back again with some background. 

On my second visit, I managed to get details of the paintings which I found interesting.  These included:

The Disputed Reckoning by Pieter de Hooch (I recognised this through the chequered tiled floor.)

The Grote Markt and the Church of St Bavo in Haarlem by Gerrit A Berckheyde

A Horse, Cattle and a Cowherd Resting in a Landscape by Albert Cuyp

Cattle Wattering by Estuary by Albert Cuyp

A  Young Girl Holding a Basket of Cherries by Jacob Jordaens

Frozen River Landscape by Aert van der Neer

Mountain Landscape with Waterfall by Jacob Isaacksz van Ruisdael

Cavalier Playing a Lute to a Lady by Jan Steen

The Card Players by David Teniers the Younger

I checked the whereabouts of the regular collection and went round the rooms “spotting” another Cuyp guessing the Rembrandts and Franz Hals and spotting a Van der Heyden.  On returning to have another quick look at the Mount Stuart collection the guard asked me how I had got on. 

I had probably overdone my enthusiasm for Cuyp, so he offered to take me round the collection pausing in front of the Rembrandt. We went on to discuss the Cuyp Nijmegen painting and I was given a detailed description of the people and objects.  In passing the guard mentioned another picture which had been acquired for the collection. 

I was able on my 2^nd visit to pick out some pictures which I liked and get a sighted friend to note the labels, as follows: 

Pictures from the Permanent Collection:

Saloman Van Ruysdael

Alkmaar in Winder, 1656

Oil on canvas

NG2799

Hendrick Ten Oever

View of Zublle with Bathers, 1675

Oil on canvas

Meindert Hobbema

Wooded Landscape

NG2377

Hendrick  Van Minderhout

An Engagement between English and Dutch Fleets (c1665)

In the 19^th century this was erroneously attributed to Willem van de Velde the Younger and titled A Sea Fight

Albert Cuyp

Landscape with view of the Valkhof, Nijmegen

NG2314

Jan van der Heyden

A View of Cologne with the Carthusian Church and St Pataleon, c1660-1665

Adam Pynacker

The Stone Bridge

On my solo visit I managed to buy the catalogue titled Masterpieces from Mount Stuart – The Bute Collection by Christian Tico Seifert.  This has an introduction by Anthony Crichton-Stuart (one of the Bute family).  I also bought a set of cards of a painting by Hendrick Avercamp titled Winter Landscape.  On a further visit to stock up on presents, we found the elusive postcard of Pitlessie Fair. (http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/artists-a-z/W/6004/artist_name/Sir%20David%20Wilkie/record_id/2431)

Many thanks to the Mound staff for locating and reading out some of the labels and discussing some of the highlights.  The shop staff were also helpful in finding some items.

If in Edinburgh, make a point of visiting the Torrie Collection which is in the Georgian gallery of the Talbot Rice Gallery within the University of Edinburgh Old College.  I covered this in Part 2 of my Dutch painting series: http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dutch-paintings-part-2-torrie.html

17th Century Dutch Painting - Part 3: National Gallery, London

5th July 2012

This is my third post on 17th Century Dutch Paintings- The Golden Age. The first described the pictures, artists (variable spelling of names) historical background and their suitability for some visually impaired people.  As there are many fine collections, it also introduced the newly refurbished galleries at the Wallace Collection and the National Gallery collection in person and online trails.  ( http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/17th-century-dutch-paintings-golden-age.html )

My second piece centred on the Torrie Collection in the Talbot Rice Gallery of the University of Edinburgh. ( http://profwhitestick.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/dutch-paintings-part-2-torrie.html )

I had missed the National Gallery ‘Art through Words’ in June and wanted to pay a visit before the Olympics made some trips difficult.  On arrival, I enquired at the information desk in the Sainsbury Wing and Nicola asked if I could use Braille or large print (I can’t) and then took me to the galleries where the 17th Century Dutch Paintings are. 

The National Gallery has a large collection of Dutch paintings, and as there is no “double hanging” the collection extends through several rooms.  Also, as there are small pictures and quite large ones, an individual artist’s work – such as Cuyp, Jan Steen or even Vermeer – is not exhibited all together in one room. 

Nicola suggested that she wrote down the NG number of a painting that I liked and that that reference would allow me to track the details.  Nicola also kept a separate note of the numbers saying that the information desk could print out the panel notes in large format or that, in my case, they could be sent in a text file by email.  (These notes were sent within 2 working days.)

Using a search engine and typing National Gallery NG Number the first result takes you normally into the picture with its dates and information.

Gerard ter Borch

Portrait of a young man
NG1399

For example I typed National Gallery NG1399 and the full length portrait of a sombre clothed man in almost black diamond shape appears. This proves that with some help in noting the NG number and then getting someone to type it up, it is possible to use this information to undertake a search yourself.  Searching without this number will depend on your searching history and getting the artist’s name right.

The following are some of the paintings that I was particularly struck by during my visit:

Room 21 text panel

Figures in an Italian Garden with Fountains and Statuary

Frederik de Moucheron
NG842

The notes suggest that Adriaen van de Velde painted the figures in this imagined Italian landscape.  I had been discussing the van de Veldes with Nicola and mentioned that two of this talented family who worked in London were buried in the churchyard of St James Piccadilly (I had just eaten a sandwich and had a coffee there.)

River landscape with Horseman and Peasants

Albert Cuyp
NG6522

The large painting of the peasants with cows has a lot of stories within it and Nicola was able to help me find one: a hunter crouching in the bottom left hand corner; I could make out a line of a gun as he was taking aim, but I could not make out his dog.  This is a beautiful painting, though has a cordon around it. 

 

Avenue of Middelharnis

Meindert Hobbema
NG830

This avenue of trees is a popular theme in Dutch paintings and this one is no exception.  Sometimes the Italianate influence can make some perspective lines appear odd and though I like this, I still think that the Cuyp avenue in Dordrecht has more appeal. 

A Dutch Yacht and Other Vessels Becalmed near the Shore

Hendrick Dubbels
NG2587

This picture caught my eye with the ships or boats in full sail but becalmed.  The masts and the pattern of the sails appealed to my peripheral vision so I asked Nicola to make a note of the number.  The search took me into a NG inventory page with a lot of information and I had to go back to another level to check all the details.  A warning: doing too many searches on some paintings makes a prediction search seek some other items.

Haarlem Lock

Meindert Hobbema
NG6138

This shows a typical canal lock with a herring packer’s tower, though according to the National Gallery site the buildings are no longer extant.  Apparently this is the only scene of Amsterdam by the artist who lived in the area.  Key facts on the site give more links to details of the painting. 

A River Scene with a Large Ferry and Numerous Dutch Vessels at Anchor

Jan van de Cappelle
NG967

A seascape with a ferry boat and other boats with Dutch flags, this was another picture that caught my eye.

Dutch Vessels Inshore and Men Bathing

Willem van de Velde
NG871

Landscape in Brazil

Frans Post
L39

This was a surprise as one forgets the enormous trading post network the Dutch, with their fleet, had established around the world. 

View of the Westerkerk, Amsterdam

Jan van der Heyden
NG6526

I had noted Jan van der Heyden in the Wallace Collection and I “recognised” the Westerkerk in Amsterdam.  Nicola commented on the detailed drawing of the cobblestones and this was similar to the brickwork detail that Jackie had described to me when looking at other pictures by van der Heyden.

Albert Cuyp

The Small Dort, NG962
The Maas at Dordrecht in a Storm, NG6405
The Large Dort, NG961

At this point I was beginning to show symptoms of a Cuyp overdose and it was delightful.  There are a lot of views of Dordrecht.   

Vermeer

The National Gallery is planning a ‘Vermeer and Musical Instrument’ exhibition for next year and it will include the Lady with Guitar.  I was mentioning this news which I had picked up on Twitter, when Nicola said “We have the lady here on show now.”  Kenwood is being refurbished and though a Rembrandt from Kenwood has gone on tour, the Iveagh Bequest restricts the Lady with the Guitar from ‘travelling’.  The picture is one of my favourites and though I missed the exhibition at the Fitzwilliam in Cambridge, I was able to view the other Vermeers such as Lady seated at a Virginal (NG2568) and Lady standing by a Virginal (NG1383).

Cattle and Sheep in a Stormy Landscape

Paulus Potter
NG2583

One of my friends prefers Paulus Potter to Albert Cuyp.  My thoughts on this cattle and sheep in a storm was that the bovine beast resembled more another species, as I thought one had the appearance of a Highland Stag. 

A Farm with a Dead Tree

Adriaen van de Velde
NG867

I was attracted by the dead tree against the skyline.  Adriaen was famous for drawing figures and anatomical bits of pictures and his work is noted in many pictures with a leading name doing the landscape.

We went through some beautiful Albert Cuyp pictures.  I had been given a book on the NG collection and had bought the Albert Cuyp Catalogue following an exhibition in London and USA.  Whenever I mention Albert Cuyp to friends who are interested in Dutch pictures, they almost always say “Ah Cuyp, the cow man!”  While it is true that Cuyp painted cows he did cover other subjects.    

On our way back to the Sainsbury Wing Nicola mentioned that the Titian exhibition was starting on July 11 and it might be an idea to get there sooner than later.  This is free and downstairs.

Many thanks to Nicola for taking me round the collection.  With her help I was also able to remember many more pictures by using the NG number.  Talks and tours on Dutch pictures are also tweeted on the NG twitter feeds and texts can be downloaded using this method. 

I have found the National Gallery website to be straightforward in its own right by just searching through a search engine.  Knowing a few names, it is possible to locate a given painting.  I was also able to catch up on paintings which I would normally have picked up in an Art through Words session. I also have the picture labels (panel notes) which Nicola sent me by email. 

An example of the picture label for the Albert Cuyp reads very well in a screenreader and the National Gallery separated the labels with an underline.  This makes it easier for me to merge it like this:

Albert Cuyp (1620–1691)

River Landscape with Horseman
and Peasants, about 1658–60

This is Aelbert Cuyp’s largest surviving

landscape. The scene is inspired by
the landscape along the Rhine near
Nijmegen, in the eastern Netherlands.
Cuyp travelled to the area many times.

The golden sunlight is observed from
the work of contemporaries, such as
Jan Both, who had travelled in Italy.

Oil on canvas

NG6522. Bought with the assistance of the
National Heritage Memorial Fund and
The Art Fund, 1989

These provide a neat description of the work and it is now possible for me to form my own gallery notes and tag it to the right painting.  (This is a challenge but makes one work to fix an image in the mind) It would be possible to read a bar code and listen to a synthetic voice read it out, but where is the interaction in that? 

This shows that a few paintings one enjoys can be enjoyed later on with a record of the visit, thoughts at the time and some cross checking from the gallery.  Another really good and imaginative way in sharing the pictures to the visually impaired community. 

Books recently acquired on 17th century Dutch pictures:

Rembrandt 1892 by John Ingamells (The Trustees of the Wallace Collection, London)

Jan Steen (1626-1679) by Wouter Kloek (Waanders Publishers, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam)
Dutch Painting: The National Gallery (National Gallery, London)

PS

Metamorphosis: Titian 2012
A unique collaboration with The Royal Ballet
11 July - 23 September 2012
Admission Free
 
Find out more:
http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/metamorphosis-titian-2012