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EXCEEDINGLY FINE JEAN-BAPTISTE DE ROY (BELGIAN, 1759–1839) OIL PAINTING ON PANEL
Sheep and cattle with shepherds resting before a river and aqueduct, signed lower left "J de Roij 1798"
Item # 605KIP13X
A rare and very finely painted scene from the last years of the eighteenth-century, this scene captures an extensive scene of farm animals on a bright summer day before the river’s edge, a large stone acqueduct erected in the background with a peasant farmer making his way across with a drawn wagon. The diversity of animals in the scene is most excellent, a few kid goats dancing in the foreground before a standing bull with his brilliant coat. At least eight sheep rest lazily in the green grass with a few goats behind them, each face perfectly detailed down to the eyelids. A farming couple stands by the water’s edge with a dog at heel while sheep with their shepherd feed along the crest of the hill. The painting is signed and dated in the lowest left corner “J. de Roij 1798”, the back of the panel inscribed in period script somewhat illegibly in both ink and in graphite, an early wax seal with a family coat of arms: a finely detailed crown over panels of an eagle, falcon and bull. The entire scene is housed in a most fine gesso and giltwood frame, quite early and exceptionally detailed - the lower left corner was damaged at one point and will require professional restoration to be properly enjoyed. This bright and precious scene is a rare and most excellent work by de Roy - an investment grade selection of precise stroke work, this is a large and substantial piece that perfectly captures the nostalgia of Romanticism in it’s high-chroma and cheery atmosphere.
Also known as de Roy de Bruxelles, Jean-Baptiste de Roy taught himself to paint and the art of etching, much of his work focusing on landscape scenes with cattle, sheep and other farm life. At a young age his father brought him to Holland where he trained his talent by studying masters of the seventeenth-century Dutch school: Paul Potter, Cuyp and Berchem. Their work heavily influenced him, each having way of elevating the landscape genre from simply being a setting to becoming a serious subject. Ommeganck had considerable influence on the style of painting he eventaully adopted. The body of his work is rather diverse, but his best works are the bright idyllic views of Dutch landscapes and his finely rendered animal groups.
Literature
- "Piron: Dictionnaire des artistes et plasticiens de Belgique des XIXeme et XXeme siècles, Vol. I", Paul Piron, p. 435
- "E. Benezit Dictionary of Artists, Vol. XII", 2006, Gründ, p. 58-59 (extensive auction records, other museum collections noted)
Museum Collections
- Koninklijke Museum, Belgium - ”Een talrijk veekonvooi bestemd voor het leger”, signed JB de Roy ca 1815, inv. no. 78
- Koninklijke Museum, Belgium - "Landschap met beesten", signed JB de Roy / 1814, inv. no. 79
- Florence Court, County Fermanagh, Ireland - “A View over Fields Towards Brussels”, ca 1816, inv. no 631113
- Albertina Museum, Vienna - A Collection of Etchings
Artist Sale Results
- Christies, Sale 2406, Lot 144, 30” x 43” - achieved $13,716 USD
- Christies, Sale 2170, Lot 144, 32” x 45” - achieved $14,986 USD
- Christies, Sale 8348, Lot 164, 30” x 41” - achieved $14,342 USD
- Christies, Sale 2394, Lot 82, 18” x 23.5” - achieved $21,038 USD
Measurements: [frame] 37 1/2” H x 29 1/4” W x 4 1/2” D; [panel] 28 1/4” H x 21 1/2” W in
Condition Report:
Hairline separation of panels down center of lower half. Frame is early, not original, the lower left corner with significant loss, other areas of loss and cracking to frame. Under UV: conserved in the last decade, the fresh varnish flourescing and making some areas hard to read; touch ups throughout, including along the seam down the center - please review the close up UV images for a more clear overview of conservation work.