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Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
JAN ASSELIJN (Dieppe 1610-1652 Amsterdam) A Group of Horses and Riders on the Outskirts of a Village.
Brush and ink and wash on cream laid paper. 290x432 mm; 11 1/2x17 inches. Honig watermark.
Provenance: Private collection, New York.
Asselijn was a prominent landscape painter and draughtsman in the Dutch Italianate tradition. Born in the French town of Dieppe, as a child Asselijn moved with his family to Amsterdam in 1621. There he studied with Jan Martszen the Younger (circa 1609–after 1647), a specialist in battle scenes, and produced two cavalry scenes, dated 1634 and 1635. Like many Dutch painters seeking to perfect their art, Asselijn traveled to Italy after his early training, probably after November 1635. The experience would influence his painting for the rest of his career.
In Rome, he became a member of the Bentvueghels (Dutch for "Birds of a Feather"), an association of northern artists who painted views of the sun-drenched Roman countryside, as well as picturesque scenes of everyday urban life. The group bestowed the nickname Crabbetje, or "little crab," on Asselijn because of his deformed left hand.
Asselijn returned to the Netherlands by way of Lyon, France, where he married Antoinette Huart around 1644. He also stayed briefly in Paris, and made paintings for the Hôtel Lambert with Herman van Swanevelt (circa 1600-1655). While there, he also created preparatory drawings for three series of etchings of Roman ruins by Gabriel Perelle (1603-1677). By 1647, Asselijn had returned to Amsterdam, where Rembrandt made a portrait etching of him (Bartsch 277). Asselijn painted Italianate landscapes for the remaining five years of his short life.
