NATURALISTIC COMPOSITIONS,
LUMINOUS HORIZONS

OLD MASTER PAINTINGS, AUCTION 19 SEPTEMBER 2025

No fewer than three works by Salomon van Ruysdael, one of the greatest landscape painters of the 17^th century, will be offered in Zurich. The first, painted around 1645, depicts a view of the Haarlemmermeer with Heemstede Castle in the gentle light of late afternoon. The second, dated 1647, presents a wide landscape beneath a high sky, with a cart on a sandy track. The ruins of the Abbey of Egmond, founded around 920–925 and destroyed during the Reformation, are the subject of the third painting by the Dutch master.

Jan van Goyen is another leading exponent of the so-called tonal landscape in 17^th-century Dutch painting. In his river landscape from the early 1650s he is at the height of his powers. With a largely monochrome palette – reduced to a range of brown tones – and an expansive, light-filled sky, he creates a composition of great atmospheric depth and timeless elegance.

SALOMON
VAN RUYSDAEL

LUDOLF
BACKHUYSEN

JAN
VAN GOYEN

Ludolf Backhuysen here portrays Tsar Peter I the Great on a boeier (a traditional Dutch sailing vessel) in Amsterdam. Travelling incognito in 1697, the ruler met influential Dutch figures, among them Nicolaes Witsen, former mayor of Amsterdam and an expert in shipbuilding, who was likely the patron of the work.

Our September sale also features a remarkable selection of still lifes. Among them is a work by Isaac Soreau, who, together with his brother Peter, developed a distinctive style that opened the doors of princely collections. His 'Basket of Grapes, Peaches and a Bouquet of Flowers' captivates with its illusionistic precision: the gleaming, translucent grapes, the delicate, vivid tulip petals, and the expertly orchestrated light all testify to Soreau’s technical virtuosity.

From an aristocratic private collection, an early work by Adriaen Coorte presents white asparagus, wild strawberries and various berries on a stone cornice, punctuated by a delicate bright blue butterfly. The restraint and balance of the composition reveal Coorte’s singular mastery and confirm him as one of the most original still-life painters of the 17^th century. His roughly 70 known works, executed between 1683 and 1707, are today among the most sought-after rarities of the Dutch Golden Age.

An impressive painting by the Flemish landscapist Denijs van Alsloot illustrates a scene from Ovid’s Metamorphoses: Diana discovers the pregnancy of her companion Callisto, seduced by Jupiter in the guise of the huntress goddess. For this canvas, Van Alsloot, a court painter famed for his meticulous forest scenes, collaborated with the figure painter Hendrick de Clerck.

Balthasar van der Ast in turn enriches this selection of still lifes with a richly coloured composition uniting fruit, flowers and insects in subtle harmony. Painted during his period in Utrecht, it features the red-and-white striped tulip 'Semper Augustus'.

Van der Ast was the pupil and brother-in-law of Ambrosius Bosschaert the Elder, from whom we are also offering a flower bouquet minutely detailed on copper, dating from his mature phase. The work captivates through its naturalistic observation, the finesse of its insects and the brilliant radiance of its colours. Painted around 1615, this bouquet exemplifies the refined aesthetic of one of the pioneers of the floral still life, active in Middelburg and a key contributor to the genre’s rise in the early 17^th century. After the success of a work by Bosschaert in our March 2025 auction, we are particularly pleased to be able to present another masterpiece by this brilliant artist.

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