Pieter Molyn (London 1595-1661 Haarlem)

Wooded mountainous landscapes, such as this lot, are rare in Pieter de Molijn's oeuvre and are characteristic of his pictures in his later career. This change in the subject matter also affected his tonal palette, which became far less muted; this is particularly visible in the strong blues used in the hills and sky. The composition of this painting, especially the framing of the picture with the diagonal and interlocking lines of trees, is similar to his drawings of the 1650s. Dr. Hans-Ulrich Beck has confirmed the attribution of this picture on the basis of photographs, noting similarities with the painting by Allaert van Everdingen in the Kunsthalle, Hamburg.