+ Expand
Provenance: Acquired directly from the artist by J.C. van Pappelendam, Amsterdam, 13 August 1866. (Dfl. 300)
+ Expand
Literature: W. Laanstra, H.C. de Bruijn, J.H.A. Ringeling, Cornelis Springer (1817-1891), Utrecht, 1984, p. 152, no. 66-8.
+ Expand
Notes: Christie’s charges a premium to the buyer on the Hammer Price of each lot sold at the following rates: 29.75% of the Hammer Price of each lot up to and including €20,000, plus 23.8% of the Hammer Price between €20,001 and €800.000, plus 14.28% of any amount in excess of €800.000. Buyer’s premium is calculated on the basis of each lot individually.
Cornelis Springer is regarded as the greatest architecture and townscape painter of the 19th Century. His preference for architecture must have been partly dictated by his family, which consisted of many contractors and architects. He was first taught architectural and perspective drawing by his eldest brother, Hendrik, also an architect. Originally destined to become a house painter Springer served an apprenticeship with house and carriage painter Andries de Wit. As he was very enthusiastic about drawing and painting works of art, and because he showed great skill and potential, he was enrolled in the Amsterdam Academy of Arts.
After his graduation from college he was tutored by Kasparus Karsen (1810-1896), a renowned Dutch townscape painter. Karsen taught him the art of painting capriccio city views; they would become Springer's main subject in his early career.
When Springer reached the height of his fame in the 1850s he made a shift to painting existing city views and only worked on commission for private collectors and art dealers, who were able to choose a composition on the basis of sketches, which he subsequently painted in oil. After his favourite subject, his native Amsterdam, Enkhuizen was the city he painted most often.
The charming village of Enkhuizen, A quiet town on the shores of the former Zuiderzee, had lost nothing of its architectural glory in spite of its economic decline since the hayday of the 17th century. Springer frequently visited the town and its neighbouring village of Hoorn from 1864 until 1884 and made many sketches of its quaint houses and streets. His favorite spots to paint were the Zuiderspui, Westerstraat and Havendijk, which were painted many times by him.
The present lot, painted in 1866, is a wonderful example of such an Enkhuizen city view. Dated 1866, it was made in his 'classical period' between 1860s and early 1870s and is an early example of his views of Enkhuizen. The painting shows a scene of everyday life and is staged in a small side street off one of the major roads of the town, parallel to the Staal-Everspijp canal. In the background the spire of the St. Pancras or Zuiderkerk is visible; this late gothic hall church is well known for its carillon in the copper plated tower. Springer is known to have painted more views of the Staal-Everspijp canal from different angles. It is a lesser known part of Enkhuizen and nowadays known as Staaleversgracht, near the Vijzelstraat.
On the 13th of August 1866, shortly after the present lot was finished, it was sold by Cornelis Springer to art collector J.C. van Pappelendam (1810-1884) for the amount of 300 guilders. A substantial sum in those days as an average income amounted to about 85 guilders per annum, and Mr. van Pappelendam, who was a wealthy trader and amanuensis for the van der Hoop museum, had an annual income of around 10.000 guilders.
