This beautiful mid-19th-century oil painting by Dutch artist Adrianus Hendrikus de Bruine (1807-1870) depicts a landscape with windswept oak trees, pond, traveller and dog.

Born in 1807, de Bruine’s formative years were spent amid the rise of Romanticism whereby artists sought to emphasise the capacity of one’s imagination. Drama, emotion, and spirit were favoured over the cold formulaic rigour of Classicism. As such, he often enlivened his portrayals of nature with a sense of grandeur - an incoming storm, light breaking through imposing clouds, gnarled oak trees, an enchanting distant horizon. There’s a sense of poetry to his brush as if each mark is underpinned by iambic pentameter.

He’s often compared with one of the foremost proponents of Dutch Romanticism, Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862), which is no surprise as, for two decades, they were inspired by the same scenery - that of Cleves in Germany. De Bruine moved to Cleves in 1845, joining Koekkoek who had already established himself. Explaining his migration, Koekkoek wrote, “our fatherland boasts no rocks, waterfalls, high mountains or romantic valleys. Proud, sublime nature is not to be found in our land”.

Cleves became an artistic Utopia - offering rivers, panoramic views, majestic peaks and dense forests, everything a Romantic painter could wish for. Its focal point was the Rhine with its sublime drama and picturesque idylls - such was its beauty that it inspired Koekkoek to publish a study guide based upon its journey. It’s likely that de Bruine was aware of this guide and it’s entirely plausible that the pair knew each other well.

Here, in this piece from around 1860, de Bruine’s skill as a colourist is evident. There’s a buoyancy to the light effects, which bring emphasis to the foliage and gently elevate the distant architecture. The form of the trees, with their vigorous glow, is both striking and exaggerated - with the lean of the central oak echoed by the figure. It’s an intelligent piece, composed superbly well.

Adrianus Hendrikus de Bruine exhibited in Amsterdam and The Hague for over thirty years and was a member of ‘Arti et Amicitiae’. He’s represented at the Rijksmuseum.

Signed and held within a later gilt frame.

Learn more about Adrianus Hendrikus de Bruine in our directory.

Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 22” x 19” / 56cm x 48cm
Year of creation: c. 1860
Labels & Inscriptions: Old label with biography on reverse.
Provenance: Christie’s, Amsterdam, 19 June 1984, lot 56 / With Otto Nebeling art dealer (1980s) / Private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Condition: Assessed and approved by our conservator. Cleaned. Canvas relined. Fine and settled craquelure, as you would expect. The paint layer is stable. Frame with light marks, old repairs, and signs of age.
Artist’s auction maximum: £15,319 for ‘Huntsmen in a Wooded Landscape’, Oil on panel, Sotheby’s, 19th Century European Paintings, Amsterdam, 2003 (lot 61).
Our reference: BRV1904