Johannes Philippus Galjaard, Figures On A Rural Track With Town Beyond

This charming mid-19th-century oil painting by Dutch artist Johannes Philippus Galjaard (1812-1867) depicts several figures on a rural track with a town and distant hills beyond. Hailing from Utrecht, Galjaard was an academy-trained landscape painter and architect.

When considering the works of Galjaard, one is reminded of Peter Paul Rubens and Thomas Gainsborough. Not necessarily in terms of style but with regard to the freedom they enjoyed when describing a view. Neither Rubens nor Gainsborough were considered ‘landscape painters’ in the first instance, as both were leading proponents in other genres - Rubens for his vigorous religious portrayals and Gainsborough for portraiture. Like them, Galjaard’s talent for landscapes was secondary - as he was first and foremost an architect. As such, it’s unlikely that his main income was derived from painting, despite his evident skill and, because of this, he could work without constraints.

In this charming piece from 1851, he’s captured a picturesque rural view with numerous points of interest. He enjoyed it here, sketching under the midday sun while surveying the various pockets of activity. As with several of his other works, he’s created a narrative by including interactions between the various figures. In the foreground, a male villager crouches to speak with a child while the boy’s mother stands alongside. Perhaps he’s a local shepherd. Another figure walks towards them with a backpack - pursued by his obedient dog.

Note the river with its homespun bridge and the cottage nestled into trees.

Galjaard painted for pleasure, imbuing his works with a liberating joie de vivre. He invites us to marvel at the delights of nature - just as he did over 170 years ago.

Signed/dated in the lower left and held within a later frame.

Medium: Oil on panel
Overall size: 21½” x 15½” / 55cm x 40cm
Year of creation: 1851
Provenance: Private collection, north Germany.
Condition: Cleaned. Revarnished. Areas of fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame in excellent condition.
Artist’s auction maximum: £2,404 for ‘Figures on a Country Road near Loosduinen (1851)’, Oil on panel, Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, 2000 (lot 1007).
Our reference: BRV1843