Page:Hofstede de Groot catalogue raisonné, Volume 4, 1912.djvu/31

 xin JACOB VAN RUISDAEL 17 31. The Castle of Bentheim. Sm. 233. The castle stands majestically on a rock in the centre. At the foot is a wood, in which a few cottages are visible. On a hill in the right distance is a windmill. On the horizon are hills. In the left foreground, at the side of a sandy road, are two picturesque cottages ; the one to the right of the road is roofed with tiles, the one to the left with slates. A man and a woman come down the road ; nearer to the front a shepherd halts beside a pack which he has put down on the ground. Below the castle two persons are walking on the road. Sunlight breaks through thick masses of cloud and illumines the castle. An "excellent example" (Sm.). [Possibly identical with 33.] Signed on the road at foot with the monogram ; canvas, 15 inches by 1 8 inches. Sales. Van Roothaan, Amsterdam, March 29, 1826, No. 93 (1700 florins, Van Brienen). G. Th. A. M. Baron van Brienen van de Grootelindt, Paris, May 8, 1865, No. 33 (26,000 francs). 32. The Castle of Bentheim. In the foreground is a ford ; on the bank lie several tree-trunks. Behind these, and beyond a bridge, is a rocky hill in bright sunlight, on which grow tall oaks with golden-yellow and green foliage. Through the trees is a vista of the great castle standing on a height. To the right is a distant view of a range of hills, from which a broad waterfall rushes down into a river ; on the banks several country folk are resting. Signed with the monogram on the left at foot ; canvas, 20 inches by 25 inches. In the collection of the Comte de Turenne. Sale. Brenken and others, Cologne, April I, 1886, No. 86 (6000 mark, Baitzke of St. Petersburg). 33. VIEW OF THE CASTLE OF BENTHEIM. Wrongly described as the castle of Brederode. A fine early work, somewhat un- equally cleaned and therefore producing a restless effect, but intrinsically attractive. [Possibly identical with 31.] 15 inches by 18 inches. In the Hulot collection. Sale. Feral, Paris, April 22, 1901, No. 94. 34. A ROCKY RIVER LANDSCAPE WITH A BRIDGE AND THE CASTLE OF BENTHEIM. A road leading from the right crosses on the left a bridge built on piles. Beyond, the river widens into a sort of lake. In the middle distance is a watermill at the foot of a high wooded cliff crowned with the ruins of the castle of Ben- theim. On the right a range of hills runs from the cliff. Beyond are higher hills ; the rocky summit of one of them is lost in the clouds. Almost in the centre foreground lies a fallen beech-trunk, to the left of a stump. On the road are three men. On the bridge are a woman carry- ing a bundle on her head, and a boy driving five sheep towards the left. An angler sits on the beech-trunk. VOL. iv c