Vedutist Artist, Views of Rotterdam, 1750, Oil on Canvases, Framed, Set of 2

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Pair of Views of Rotterdam: The Stock Exchange Building / View of the Canal with the Old Port

Eighteenth-Century View … Read more Pair of Views of Rotterdam: The Stock Exchange Building / View of the Canal with the Old Port

Eighteenth-Century View Painter

Oils on canvas
47 x 66 cm - Framed 56 x 75 cm

This delightful pair of paintings depicts two views of the city of Rotterdam, here explored as lively documentaries of the customs and traditions of public life in the wealthy Dutch port city, one of the founders of the Dutch East India Company. It is an excellent example of eighteenth-century view painting.

In particular, the first work features the monumental Stock Exchange Building (known as the Beurs), designed by architect Adriaen van der Werff in Westnieuwland. Originally a place for the regulation of trade, where merchants and bankers met periodically to exchange securities and negotiate transactions, it is located on the banks of the Nordblaak River and depicted with the Gaapers Bridge in the foreground.

The second work captures the docking of the ancient port of Rotterdam, with a view of the city's two gates in the foreground (the Wester Old Hoofdpoort on the left and the Ooster Oude Hoofdpoort on the right); in the background on the left, the St. Laurenskerk (Church of St. Lawrence), also known as the Great Church of Rotterdam, is the only medieval structure, while on the right is the English Church.

Extremely well executed, characterized by a striking luminosity and a vibrant color palette, highlighted by the contrast between light and shadow, our canvases are a fascinating testimony to 18th-century Rotterdam, depicting two of the views that historically had a significant impact on the city's economic history.

We can attribute their authorship to a painter from the mid-18th century, inspired by the pictorial style of Italian Vedutisti, whose iconography was presumably drawn from the numerous perspective prints created using camera obscuras.

In particular, these views of Rotterdam draw their iconographic origins from a collection of perspective prints of the most influential European cities, created by the engraver Johann Balthasar Probst (1732-1801). They are distinguished by a remarkable finesse of line, serving an undeniably valuable sense of perspective, and above all, characterized by a distinct Nordic flavor.

A descendant of a great family of engravers from Augsburg, Probst helped establish his workshop as a major European publishing center between the 17th and 18th centuries, and one of the leading German print publishers in the first half of the 18th century.

Despite his travels, including to Italy, including Venice, Rome, and Naples, not all of the cities he portrayed were drawn from life but rather based on earlier prints and drawings, filtered through Northern European clichés.

Many of these engravings have been lost and are now difficult to find on the antiques market.
This piece is attributed to the mentioned designer/maker. It has no attribution mark and no
official proof of authenticity,
however it is well documented in design history. I take full responsibility for any authenticity



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