Cornelius Borsteegh

CORNELIUS BORSTEEGH (Netherlands, 1773–1834)
"Winter Landscape."
Pair of oil paintings on panel.
With an identification label on the back.
Measurements: 25 x 30.5 cm; 37 x 42 cm (frame).

This delicate pair of winter landscapes is a magnificent example of Dutch cabinet painting from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Cornelius Borsteegh depicts two riverside scenes enveloped in the serene atmosphere of winter, where villages, boats, and small groups of figures enliven the landscape without disrupting the composition’s balance. The expansive skies, rendered with extraordinary sensitivity to light, dominate both works and reflect one of the great traditions of the Dutch school: the ability to make nature and atmospheric variations the true protagonists of the painting.

Following the tradition of the Dutch Utrecht School, Cornelius Borgsteegh specialized in bucolic winter lake landscapes such as the one shown here, featuring expansive skies and snow blanketing the gabled roofs of the houses, with undaunted passersby conversing, working, or sailing across the lake in small boats. Cornelius Borgsteegh was born in Ameide. Recognized as a landscape painter and draftsman, he taught drawing in Gouda.