Lot 1301 Dα

As Claudia Nordhoff iterates, this “View of the Arno Vally and Fiesole”, painted in 1804, is an important example of Jacob Philipp Hackert's late period. It is remarkable for several reasons: It was housed in a private collection for over 100 years, together with Hackert's “View of Maddaloni” (see lot 1302), and only recorded in contemporary documents. These documents include Hackert's private correspondence with none other than Johann Wolfgang Goethe. The work held great personal significance for the artist, as it was commissioned by an old and dear friend, the Englishman Sir John Francis Edward Acton (for more information on Acton's life, see the following lot). The first version of this landscape, painted for Grand Duke Karl-August of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach, has been lost since WWII. The composition, which Goethe praised so highly, has only survived in this version, a fact that lends the work even greater art historical significance (cf. expertise Nordhoff; Nordhoff 2012, op. cit., p. 199).
The work depicts the region north of Florence with a view of Fiesole. As mentioned previously, Hackert first painted a version of this composition for the Grand Duke of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach. After Goethe received the initial version in Weimar with such enthusiasm, Hackert told him of his plan to create a second version. He wanted to create “a repetition of this composition for Mr Ackton, as it characterises the country and he has not found anything more beautiful in the surroundings of Florence” (from the German).
Goethe described the first version in the “Intelligenzblatt der Jenaischen Allgemeinen Literaturzeitung“. It is worth reproducing Goethe's description in part here, “The […] painting depicts […] the surroundings of Florence; the peaks of the Massa Carrara mountain range rise up in the blue distance, and nearer the slope of the Apennines leads downwards towards Pisa and Livorno. We see Fiesole on the right on its lofty hill, and to the left the peaks around Florence, crowned by peasant cottages. Between them the verdant plain between Prato and Pistoja, fed by the river Arno […] one recognises many of the cottages, churches, and abbeys, and feels that one could almost walk the paths, climb the hill of Fiesole, and follow the River Arno…” (from the German).
It is hard to imagine a more poetic description of Hackert's image than that penned by Goethe. The poet immerses himself in the landscape, walking it once more in his mind's eye. His description allowed a sympathetic, educated audience in Germany to share in his viewing of Hackert's work, merging it with memories of his own trip to Italy.
Claudia Nordhoff points out that this version of the landscape for John Francis Edward Acton is not merely a replica, but an independent work. Hackert made changes to this version, apparently in response to Goethe's criticism. Goethe, who was also knowledgeable in economic matters, mentioned that Hackert had painted too many cattle in the foreground of the first version which did not belong there, “because the area around Florence is primarily rich in oil and wine, but cannot support many cattle” - an observation that modern travellers to Florence can confirm. The reduction of the animals in the foreground was beneficial to the composition since it opens up the view of the mountains of Massa Carrara more effectively.