Jacob Maris (1837-1899)
Lot 46

Jacob Maris (1837-1899)

The canal: salad gardens near The Hague

Closed12 June 2017

Price Realised

EUR 40,000

More Information

How to sell

Jacob Maris (1837-1899)
The canal: salad gardens near The Hague
signed 'J. Maris' (lower left)
oil on canvas
99 x 80 cm.
Painted circa 1891-1892.

To be sold with an etching by Johannes Graadt van Roggen (1867-1959) of the present lot.

with Kunsthandel Boussod-Valadon & Cie, The Hague.
Mr. Edward Mallinckrodt Sr., St. Louis, by 1911-1922.
(Possibly) a bequest by the above to City Art Museum of St. Louis, St. Louis.
The Property of the Saint Louis Art Museum; their sale, Christie's, New York, 24 May 1985, lot 81.
Mr. and Mrs. Degen, Zaltbommel, by 1986.
with Kunsthandel Borzo, 's-Hertogenbosch, by 1989.
Mr. M.E.J. Moonen, 's-Hertogenbosch, by 1997.
Anonymous sale; Sotheby's, Amsterdam, 23 April 2002, lot 176.
with Kunsthandel Simonis & Buunk, Ede, where acquired by the previous owners.

Specialist note

In 1878, Jacob Maris painted a view on The Hague with five windmills and vegetable gardens (so-called ‘warmoezenierstuintjes’ or ‘slatuintjes’) seen from the outskirts of the city from the Laan van Meerdervoort. This painting Slatuintjes bij Den Haag (Vegetable Gardens near The Hague) is now in the collection of the Gemeentemuseum The Hague (inv./cat.nr 80-1968) (see fig. 2). This was close to his house at the Bazarstraat in The Hague. Except for his student days in Antwerp and a stay in Paris, Maris has always lived and worked in The Hague. He painted the Vegetable Gardens near The Hague shortly after he moved to the Bazarstraat, which was then a rural area near Scheveningen. Approximately fourteen years later circa 1891-1892 he painted the present lot, depicting a similar view of The Hague with a very comparable composition showing a low horizon and a large atmospherically grey sky. By 1895, this whole area was built-up, in which we now know as the Zeeheldenkwartier. Maris did not, however, make a true-to-nature reflection of reality. Project developers designed regular street blocks, with narrow streets, but Maris preferred a more romanticized depiction of this area.

Jacob Maris is known for his grayish landscapes. He strived not for topographical correctness, but found atmosphere and composition more significant factors to consider. The present lot is a good example for that which he endeavoured; the painting scowls wistfulness and nostalgia. Shortly after its completion, it was sold off to the USA. Sir Edward Mallinckrodt Sr., a philanthropist and businessman in agricultural chemistry, bought the painting at the dealer Boussod, Valadon & Cie in The Hague for his house in Saint Louis, Missouri. In 1911 and 1922, the painting was exhibited at the City Art Museum of St. Louis. In its catalogue, the following can be read:
‘The interpretation of atmosphere, refinement of values, feelings of nature in the open, deepen the first favourable impression of a picture that is characteristic of the fine command of the Holland landscape school, as exemplified by this master.’

Johannes Graadt van Roggen (1867-1959) is known for his etching-reproductions of The Hague School paintings. He made an etching after the present lot which will be offered together with the painting (fig. 1).