Cornelis Springer
The Grote Markt in Zwolle
1869
Oil on panel. 54.5 x 44 cm.
Monogrammed and dated lower right: CS (ligated) 1869.
The city of Zwolle in Overijssel was one of several Dutch cities visited and painted by Cornelis Springer. The Sint-Michaels-Kerk and the Grote Markt were perfect for a veduta painter like him. The light of the low summer sun illuminates the square, bathing the stones of the church in warm red and beige and casting a hazy veil over the spire in the distance (popularly known as the ‘pepper shaker’). St Michael's Church was a 15th century hall church with three naves of equal height, which makes the view of the church particularly imposing. From the 17th century, the Hoofdwacht (main guardhouse) was located next to the portal, forming a stark contrast to the architecture of the church. Springer depicted St Michael's several times from a similar perspective, for example in a winter view of the town painted in 1862 (The Wilson Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum, inv. no. 1899.1.24).
Catalogue Raisonné
Laanstra/de Buijn/Ringeling, no. 69-9
Provenance
The artist's estate. - J. C. van Pappelendam, Amsterdam, acquired directly from the artist on 31 August 1869 for 550 fl. - Private collection, Netherlands. - On loan to the Provinciaal Overijssels Museum (POM), Zwolle. - Sotheby's, Amsterdam, auction 21 October 2003, lot 187. - Acquired there.
Literature
W. Laanstra/H. C. de Bruijn/J.H.A. Ringeling: Cornelis Springer (1817-1891), Utrecht 1984, p. 164, no. 69-9 (as ‘’De Markt en Hoofdwacht te Zwolle in het midden vn de 17de eeuw, bij zomer‘’).