little of the types and character of seventeenth-cen­ 8. A case in point is The Travelers and The Old Oak (dis­ tury landscape pendants that his assertion cannot be cussed in the entry on The Travelers, 1942.9.31), which are 8 apparently companion pieces, but whose commonality, other totally discounted. than dimensions and date, is essentially that the compositions were both derived from Jacob van Ruisdael. Notes 1. Information found in the draft catalogue of Knoedler References paintings in the Mellon Collection at the National Gallery of 1829-1842 Smith, 6(1835): 149, no. 100; 9 (1842): 724- Art, written c. 1940 by G. H. McCall for Duveen Brothers. 725, no. 18. Other sources also state that the picture was owned by the 1854-1857 Waagen, 2: 202-203. younger Cobbe and that it was owned during the eighteenth 1854 Jervis, 2: 225, 344. century by one of his ancestors, but there is no other specific 1857 Thore (Burger): 291. mention of Charles Cobbe, archbishop of Dublin. 1859 Thore (Burger): 28-44. 2. Holford Collection 1927, 2: ix, produced by the executors 1860 Waagen, 2: 444. of Sir G. L. Holford's estate, says that the Hobbema that had 1861 Blanc, 2: 12. belonged to "Mr." (i.e. R. S.) Holford was sold to help pay his 1864 Scheltema: 214-226. death duties. Holford also owned another painting that came 1865 Thore (Burger): 291. to the National Gallery of Art by way of The Andrew W. 1890b Michel: 18, 50, 52. Mellon Collection, Anthony van Dyck's portrait of Marchesa 1891 Cundall: 56-58, 157. £0/^/(1937.1.49). 1894 Cobbe, 1: 23-24. 3. The painting (Knoedler no. CA 787) was taken in on 1901 "Sale room": 190-197. consignment in February 1935 and sold to the Mellon Trust 1907 Roberts: unpaginated, repro. in December of that year. (Letter from Nancy C. Little, 1907-1927 HdG, 4 (1912): 412-413, no. 171. librarian, M. Knoedler & Co., New York, 12 September 1913 Burroughs: 2-13, repro. 1987, in NGA curatorial files.) 1913 Bode, 3: 21. 4. Smith's 1835 entry for the painting consisted of only a 1927 Holford Collection, 2: ix. brief description, but in his 1842 supplement he described 1938 Broulhiet: 68, 275, 424, no. 347, 373, pi. 581, the work in great detail, and praised it lavishly, saying: "This repro. of signature. brilliant epitome of Nature is justly entitled to the highest 1941 NGA: 97, no. 61. commendations, and is in truth an example of...rare ocur- 1942 NGA: 26, repro. rence " (Smith 1829-1842, 9: 725). The painting was also 1949 Mellon: 98, repro. clearly greatly appreciated by its owners, to judge by a 1959 Stechow.' 3-18, fig. 13. fascinating account of the circumstances of its sale by Charles 1960 MacLaren: 170. Cobbe in 1839, published by his daughter Frances Power 1965 NGA: 67, no. 61. Cobbe in 1894. She wrote as follows: 1966 Stechow: 77, fig. 151. Though often hard pressed to carry out with a very mod­ 1966 Cairns and Walker, 1: 248, repro. erate income all his projects of improvements, he was 1968 NGA: 59, repro. never in debt. One by one he rebuilt or re-roofed almost 1975 NGA: 174-175, repro. every cottage on his estate, making what had been little 1976 Walker: 295, no. 397, color repro. better than pig-styes, fit for human habitation; and when 1985 NGA: 202, repro. he found that his annual rents could never suffice to do all 1986 Sutton: 305-306. that was required in this way for his tenants in his moun­ 1987 Sutton: 349, note 2. tain property, he induced my eldest brother, then just of age, to join with him in selling two of the pictures which were the heirlooms of the family and the pride of the house, a Gaspar Poussin and a Hobbema, which last now 1942.9.30 (626) adorns the walls of Dorchester House. I remember as a child seeing the tears in his eyes as this beautiful painting was taken out of the room in which it had been like a Hut among Trees perpetual ray of sunshine. But the sacrifice was com­ pleted, and eighty good stone and slate "Hobbema Cot­ c. 1664 tages," as we called them, soon rose all over Glenasmoil. Oil on canvas, 96.5 x 108 (38 x 42 V2) Be it noted by those who deny every merit in an Anglo- Widener Collection Irish landlord, that not a farthing was added to the rent of the tenants who profited by this real act of self-denial. Inscriptions (Cobbe 1894, 1: 23-24.) At lower left: M Hobbema 5. Waagen 1854-1857, 2: 203. 6. Stechow 1959, 9, 15. Technical Notes: The support, a medium-weight, plain- 7. Gregory Rubinstein has pointed out verbally that it is weave fabric, has been double lined with the tacking margins nonetheless possible that both paintings could have been trimmed. Diagonal trowel marks from the application of the together in Ireland in the early 1830s. Littleton was appointed white ground are visible in the x-radiograph. chief secretary to the lord lieutenant of Ireland in 1833, and Paint is applied fluidly with vigorous brushmarking and must therefore have spent a considerable amount of time refined with transparent glazes.1 After an initial freely paint­ there during this period. ed sketch, more detailed layers were applied. Infrared reflec-

I2 0 DUTCH PAINTINGS Meindert Hobbema, Hut among Trees, 1942.9.30

MEINDERT HOBBEMA 121 tography shows tree trunks and branches blocked out first, ability to suggest the varied light conditions of a then dense foliage applied, followed by individual outer partly cloudy day invariably transmit the feeling of leaves. Scattered small losses are found overall. The figures a scene painted directly from life. and horse were severely damaged at a later date by an appar­ ently intentional attempt to remove them. Three different versions of this composition exist, 4 The painting was treated in 1964 when a lining was added none of them dated. Slight differences in the shape and losses were retouched. Discolored varnish and some and position of the houses and in the treatment of repaints, including staff age figures, were removed when the light suggest that the Washington painting is the painting was cleaned in 1983-1985. At that time remains of earliest of the four. It is the only instance in which the woman and child, which were found underneath the overpaint, were reconstructed. the house on the right is so dilapidated, with large portions of its thatched roof missing. In all the other Provenance: H. Hammersley [Hamersley]; (sale, Rainy, versions the house is less oblique and lacks the small London, 1841);2 Charles J. Nieuwenhuys [1799-1883], Brus­ addition on the side. In these paintings the path sels and London. Lord William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron swings slightly to the left and a large broken tree Ashburton [d. 1864], Grange Park, Hampshire, by 1854;3 by inheritance to Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton [d. trunk in the lower left arches upward, whereas in 1868], Grange Park; by inheritance to Alexander Hugh Bar­ Hut among Trees the path continues diagonally to the ing, 4th Baron Ashburton [d. 1880], Grange Park; by inheri­ right and the tree trunk is less substantial. tance to Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashbur­ Because Hobbema's compositions tended to be­ ton, Grange Park; (jointly purchased in 1907 by Thomas come more open during the course of the 1660s, the Agnew & Sons, Davis, Arthur J. Sulley & Co., and Charles Wertheimer, London); sold 1009 by (Arthur J. Sulley) to comparatively dense band of trees that stretches Peter A. B. Widener, Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, Penn­ across the middle ground in this work suggests that sylvania; inheritance from Estate of Peter A. B. Widener by it is the earliest in this sequence of related scenes. In gift through power of appointment of Joseph E. Widener, the version now in the Mauritshuis (fig. 1), the Elkins Park. trunks are comparatively thinner and the view into

Exhibited: Exhibition of Works by the Old Masters (Winter Exhi­ the distance is less obscured than in the Washington 5 bition), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1890, no. 85. example. Since Hut among Trees is slightly more open than A Wooded Landscape (1937.1.61), which is signed and dated 1663, and less so than A View on a HOBBEMA was a master of rearranging frequently High Road(1937.1.62), signed and dated 1665, one can used compositional elements in his paintings. One ascribe to it a tentative date of about 1664. To help encounters time and again familiar vistas, houses, confirm this date, a similar comparison may also be groupings of trees, and figures who wander along made between the structure of the trees in these meandering paths that pass through wooded land­ three works. Those in this painting are less compact scapes. He built his scenes along established com­ and dense than the ones in A Wooded Landscape, but positional principles, which included leading the more so than those in A View on a High Road. This viewer gently into the distance, either along paths or approximate date is also consistent with the distinc­ by means of alternating zones of light and dark. tive light gray green color of the trees that Hobbema Remarkably, though, Hobbema's delicate touch and used in 1663 and 1664. The painting is in excellent condition, except for the figure group. In 1984, it was discovered during Fig. 1. Meindert Hobbema, Huts under Trees•, c. 1664, cleaning that the figures as they then existed were oil on panel, The Hague, Mauritshuis not original and were probably nineteenth-century creations. At the same time, the remains of two other figures, slightly larger and somewhat to their left, were discovered under the additions. The old remains were then reconstructed. More figures, in­ cluding a horse, may once have accompanied them. Why these figures were at some point physically removed and replaced is not known. Perhaps the owner felt that they were awkward, or drew too much attention to the foreground. The staff age painter who originally inserted these figures has not been identified. Notes at the bottom and sides. A thin, reddish brown ground layer 1. Pigment analysis reports are available in the Scientific is covered by a pale brown imprimatura, which has been Research department (4 April 1984, 3 May 1984, and 16 incorporated as a mid-tone in the sky and foreground. August 1984). The design was sketched in thin dark paint, then painted 2. Cited in Smith 1829-1842, 9: 729; HdG 1907-1927, in thinly applied pastes. The sky was painted first with 4:433. Lugt 1938, however, lists no "Hammersley" or "Ham- reserves left for the houses and trees. The foreground figures ersley" sales and only one 1841 sale conducted by Rainy, on were painted over the completed landscape. The gabled 21 August 1841, the property of Skammers. house at far right was made smaller, and the tree to the right 3. Jervis 1854, 344. Not listed in Waagen 1838b or of the pathway was shifted slightly. Waagen 1854-1857. Thin bands of loss occur along fold lines and around 4. The location of one of these is not known (HdG tacking holes. The paint, with the exception of some thin­ 1907-1927, 4: 410, no. 114; Broulhiet 1938, 209; formerly ness in the sky, is in excellent condition. The painting is Robarts Collection, England). The other two are in London currently in restoration, and the accompanying color plate (National Gallery, inv. no. 995; Smith 1829-1842, 6: 133, no. was taken with the painting in stripped condition. 63; HdG 1907-1927,4:427, no. 162; Broulhiet 1938, 269) and The Hague (Mauritshuis, inv. no. 1061; HdG 1907-1927, 6: Provenance: Mme Jean Etienne Fizeau [nee Marie Anne 434, no. 184). Masse, d. 1790], Amsterdam; (sale, Amsterdam, 27 April 5. For a discussion of the Mauritshuis painting and its 1791);1 Henry Wei bore Ellis Agar, 2nd Viscount Clifden relationship to Hut among Trees, see Broos 1987, 208-211. [1761-1836], until 1806; Robert Grosvenor, 1st Marquess of Westminster [1767-1845];2 by inheritance to his grandson, References Hugh Lupus Grosvenor, 1st Duke of Westminster [1825- 1829-1842 Smith, 9 (1842): 729, no. 28. 1899], Grosvenor House, London; Alfred Charles de 1854 Jervis, 2: 225, 344. Rothschild [1842-1918], Tring Park, Hertfordshire, proba­ 1859 Thore (Burger): 28-44 (either Hut among Trees or bly between 1884 and 1888;3 bequeathed to Almina Ashburton's other Hobbema is mentioned). Wombwell Dennistoun, Countess of Carnarvon, Highclere, 1891 Cundall: 157. near Newbury, Berkshire; (Duveen Brothers, New York); 1907-1927 HdG, 4 (1912): 415-416, no. 181. sold November 1924 to Andrew W. Mellon, Pittsburgh and 1913-1916 Widener: intro., 20, repro. Washington; deeded 28 December 1934 to The A. W. Mellon 1923 Widener: unpaginated, repro. Educational and Charitable Trust, Pittsburgh. 1931 Widener: 56-57, repro. 1938 Broulhiet: 236, 413, no. 268. Exhibited: British Institution, London, 1834, either no. 136 1948 Widener: 60, repro. or 139 and 1845, no. 49 or 52. Works of Old Masters, Burlington i960 MacLaren: 170. Fine Arts Club, London, 1871, either no. 35 or 41.4 A Loan 1965 NGA: 68, no. 626. Exhibition of Dutch Paintings, Detroit Institute of Arts, 1925, 1968 NGA: 60, repro. no. 11. Paintings by Old Masters from Pittsburgh Collections, 1975 NGA: 176-177, repro. Carnegie Institute, Pittsburgh, 1925, no. 28. 1985 NGA: 203, repro. 1986 Paris: 256-257, repro. 1987 Broos: 211, repro. HOBBEMA'S STYLE developed very rapidly 1992 Brown/MacLaren, 1: 182, fig. 43. throughout the 1660s. By the middle of the decade he had opened his compositions to give a light-filled and spacious feeling to his scenes. This painting, signed and dated 1665, is an excellent example of this period of his work.5 The road that passes 1937.1.62 (62) through the rural village meanders diagonally into the distance, passing half-timbered homes that sit A View on a High Road comfortably within the wooded landscape. The trees, which in earlier works form dense barriers in 1665 the middle distance (see A Wooded Landscape, Oil on canvas, 93.1 x 127.8 (365/8 x 505/6) 193 7.1.61), rise only to the left of center. Otherwise, Andrew W. Mellon Collection Hobbema has kept them low and relegated them to the peripheries of his scene. To judge from the pat­ Inscriptions At lower left: m. hobbema.11665 terns of light and shade, it seems to be midday. Villagers sit and relax beside the road or talk over the Technical Notes: The support, a fine-weight, plain-weave front stoop. Two children play with boats at a small fabric, has been lined with the top tacking margin trimmed. pond beside the road, along which a mounted fal­ In prior interventions, painted canvas along the top edge was coner and his attendant pass into the distance. In the twice folded over the stretcher to serve as a tacking margin. This edge was then later restored to the picture plane along center foreground an elegant couple, the man hold­ with the unfolded bottom, left, and right original tacking ing a stick, passes near a traveler with his knapsack margins. The present dimensions are thus slightly expanded resting on a cut log.

MEINDERT HOBBEMA 123