Oil on canvas, relined
Netherlands, around 1880
Jan Evert Morel II (1835-1905) – Dutch landscape painter and etcher
Inscribed lower left ‘B. C. Koekko**’ (by unknown hand)
Overall dimensions, framed: 68.5 x 91.5 cm
In a period frame
Good condition – a detailed condition report by Dr. Bernd Bünsche (former head of restoration at the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landesmuseum, Kiel) will be provided on request
Provenance: German private collection, see old photographs of the art collection
A romantic landscape, painted with great virtuosity in the style of the famous Dutch landscapist Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862); the auction record for a similar painting by Jan Evert Morel II is 38,000 euros

This idyllic landscape oil painting is the work of Jan Evert Morel II, the most talented follower of the famous Dutch landscape artist Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862), whose name the image bears lower left. It depicts a sunlit landscape with a family resting by the banks of a river whilst a herdsman drives his cattle and sheep along a forest track; in the distance, the silhouette of a fortified town, which could be identified with Kleve. The composition is beautifully balanced – anchored by two tall trees in the center and wispy clouds in the sky to the right and shows the quality of a miniature in the rendering of the details.



The outstanding quality of the painting, the convincing provenance (the painting is in private collection since the end of the 19th Century), and the inscription ‘B. C. Koekko**', that was probably added at an early stage (the craquelure goes through it) made an attribution to Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862) for a long time very plausible. After a close examination by leading Koekkoek experts, the landscape has been restituted to the oeuvre of Jan Evert Morell II.



The painting is overall in good condition. The canvas has been relined. The surface shows minor framing marks. There is a discontinuous band of retouching along the edges; scattered areas of retouching are affecting the sky. The work bears the signature ‘B. C. Koekko**’ added by an unknown hand; the last two letters are no longer visible. A detailed condition report by Dr. Bernd Bünsche (former head of restoration at the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Landesmuseum, Kiel) can be provided on request. The frame shows light signs of age. Framed, the work measures 68.5 x 91.5 cm. The stretcher frame measures 57.5 x 80 cm.



Jan Evert Morel II (1835-1905)

Born 1835 in Amsterdam, the son of the Dutch marine artist Casparus Johannes Morel (1798-1861) Jan Evert Morel II learned his art from his father, but specialized in extensive, wooded landscapes. The work by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek (1803-1862) certainly had a major influence on Morel´s output. Morel‘s paintings can be found in the Museum Boymans-van-Beuningen in Rotterdam, in the Museum Bistum van Vliet and in the Koekkoek Museum in Kleve.

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