Lot 2058 Dα

The paintings of Nicolaes Berchem were highly appreciated during his lifetime and were among the leading models for younger artists in the 18th century. His works could be found in almost all princely collections. This was to change in the 19th century, when Isaak Ruisdael, Hobbema and Jan van Goyen came to be ranked more highly. The warm southern light of Berchem's paintings and the elegant movement of his graceful figures were not thought of as truly "Dutch". Today, Berchem is once again considered one of the most important Dutch painters of Italian landscapes of the Golden Age. An exhibition at the Frans Hals Museum in Haarlem, the Kunsthaus in Zurich and the Staatliches Museum in Schwerin in 2006/2007 played a decisive role in rehabilitating this outstanding painter.
The present work shows a forest landscape that cannot be described as "southern", and is instead clearly located north of the Alps. It depicts highwaymen attacking and robbing a group of travellers, a widespread motif in Dutch art.

The painting is listed in the RKD database under no. 150718 and dated around 1644 /1647.