Not on display

River, with boats and shipping

Oil Painting
1861 (painted)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Karl Adloff (1819-1853) was born and died in Düsseldorf, where he seems to have spent his entire life. He specialised in landscape paintings, especially in sea-views. Unfortunately, very little is known of his life.

This painting is a fine example of Adloff's output which essentially includes landscape paintings and sea-views in which his depiction of light infuses the compositions with a sense of calm. This work probably depicts a view of Amsterdam as on the right hand-side one can recognised the Prins Hendrikkede also called Schreierstoren, 'weeping tower, as the women used to wait here the return of their husbands from the sea. This painting is reminiscent of the 17th-century Dutch seascapes, which aroused a new interest in the 19th century.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleRiver, with boats and shipping
Materials and techniques
Oil on canvas
Brief description
Oil on canvas, 'River, with Boats and Shipping', Karl Adloff, 1861
Physical description
River in the foreground, centre left, jettisons a dilapidated wharf with a boathouse at the end, small rowing boats are making their way to and from the wharf where moored shipping can also be seen. To the right is the shore on which can be seen the a church spire and a loch opening.
Dimensions
  • Estimate height: 91.4cm
  • Estimate width: 147.3cm
Dimensions taken from C.M. Kauffmann, Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973
Style
Marks and inscriptions
(Signed and dated lower left)
Credit line
Bequeathed by John M. Parsons
Object history
Bequeathed by John M. Parsons, 1870
John Meeson Parsons (1798-1870), art collector, was born in Newport, Shropshire. He later settled in London, and became a member of the stock exchange. His interest in railways led to his election as an associate of the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1839, and he was director or chairman of two railway companies between 1843 and 1848. Much of his time however was spent collecting pictures and works of art. In his will he offered his collection of mostly German and Dutch schools to the National Gallery (which selected only three works) and to the Department of Science and Art at South Kensington, later the Victoria and Albert Museum. The South Kensington Museum acquired ninety-two oil paintings and forty-seven watercolours. A number of engravings were also left to the British Museum.

Historical significance: This painting is characteristic of Adloff's output of landscapes and seascapes with figures. The play of light and reflections on the water is characteristic of his art and reminiscent of such Dutch masters of the 17th century as Jan van Goyen (1596-1656).His highly detailed and refined brushwork is however typical of the post-Romantic imagery still en vogue in the second half of the 19th century. Adloff was sometimes accused of lacking a distinctive style but this is a common trend to most of the landscape painters of the second half of the 19th century.
Subjects depicted
Summary
Karl Adloff (1819-1853) was born and died in Düsseldorf, where he seems to have spent his entire life. He specialised in landscape paintings, especially in sea-views. Unfortunately, very little is known of his life.

This painting is a fine example of Adloff's output which essentially includes landscape paintings and sea-views in which his depiction of light infuses the compositions with a sense of calm. This work probably depicts a view of Amsterdam as on the right hand-side one can recognised the Prins Hendrikkede also called Schreierstoren, 'weeping tower, as the women used to wait here the return of their husbands from the sea. This painting is reminiscent of the 17th-century Dutch seascapes, which aroused a new interest in the 19th century.
Bibliographic reference
Kauffmann, C.M., Catalogue of Foreign Paintings, II. 1800-1900, London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1973, p. 1, cat. no. 1.
Collection
Accession number
517-1870

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdApril 11, 2006
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest