with inscription ‘JVan Huysum’ (recto) and ‘1743’ (probably by Johannes de Bosch) and ‘f360’ (verso)
pen and grey ink, grey and brown wash, partial grey framing lines
11.4 x 16.2 cm
Provenance:
Private collection, The Netherlands.

Johannes de Bosch was born into a wealthy Amsterdam family; [1] his father, Jeronimo, was a pharmacist and owned a formidable collection of prints and drawings and was furthermore acquainted with artists such as Jacob de Wit, Isaac de Moucheron and Jan and Michiel van Huysum. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that both of his sons would pursue artistic careers; Bernardus became a poet and Johannes an artist. The latter specialised in drawings of arcadian landscapes which were strongly inspired by the work of the Van Huysum’s. So much so, in fact, that his work has often been mistaken for that of that by one of the Van Huysum’s, as is the case with the present drawing which carries an early attribution to Jan van Huysum. The style and execution, as well as the number or date on the verso, are characteristic of those by de Bosch. The stylised rendering of the trees as well as the subject matter and composition can be compared, for example, to a signed and dated sheet (1774) in the St. Annen-Museum, Lübeck. [2]

[1] R. van Eijnden and A. van der Willigen, Geschiedenis der Vaderlandsche Schilderkunst, sedert de helft der XVIII eeuw, Haarlem, 1830 [reprint, Amsterdam, 1979], vol. II, p. 135.
[2] Inv. AB 164.