Oil painting, 'Dordrecht, with Shipping on the Meuse', Edmond de Schampheleer, 1873

The Meuse river with steamers and barges and a man rowing his family in a small rowing or ferry boat, the city of Dordrecht is identifiable by the buildings along the horizon at left

Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon

Bequeathed by Joshua Dixon, 1886
Joshua Dixon (1811-1885), was the son of Abraham Dixon of Whitehaven and brother of George Dixon (who was head of the foreign merchants firm of Rabone Brothers in Birmingham 1883-98). Educated at Leeds Grammar School, and was deputy chairman of the London, Chatham and Dover Railway Company 1869-70. Died Winslade, near Exeter, 7 December 1885. Bequeathed all his collection of drawings, watercolours and oil paintings to the Bethnal Green Museum; they have since been transferred to the V&A. He also collected engravings, Japanese vases and panels, and bronze and marble sculpture.

Ref: Parkinson, Ronald, Catalogue of British Oil Paintings 1820-1860, (Victoria & Albert Museum, HMSO, London, 1990), p.xx.

Historical significance: Edmond De Schampheleer (1824-1899) was a Belgian Realist painter of landscapes. He was a student of Eugène De Block in Antwerp and also spent time in Barbizon and Munich. His time in Barbizon encouraged a 'plein air' approach, that is, direct observation and recording of nature and transitory effects of light or at least the impression of such and of having been painted out of doors. De Schampheleer also painted in Gelderland, Holland where he developed a style which looked back to the 17th century Dutch landscape tradition. In 1869, De Schampeleer became knight in the Order of King Leopold. He contributed to several exhibitions and obtained gold medals at the Munich Salon of 1864, Brussels in 1866, Berlin in 1872 and Paris in 1877.

Landscape paintings were extremely popular during the 17th century and increasingly encompassed a variety of forms and genres. Dutch painters in particular were inspired to paint nature, both their familiar surroundings as well as more exotic locales, the most popular being Italy. In the early 1600s, innovative contributions to landscape paintings were made, especially by the marine painters who concentrated on the changing effects of light according to atmospheric conditions and perspective and had a considerable impact on the appearance of landscape painting. Towards the end of the 17th century, a shift in taste is detected in favour of more academic and classical landscapes inspired by Italianate paintings and often employed as settings for mythological or historical subjects. By the end of the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries, Dutch artists returned to the tradition of 17th century landscape and genre painting and imitated the great painters of the Golden Age. This trend flourished in particular with the Hague school (1870-90) before coming to an end with the beginning of Impressionism.

The city of Dordrecht is identifiable by the buildings along the horizon at left of this view of the Meuse river with steamers and barges and a man rowing his family in a small rowing or ferry boat. Edmond De Schampheleer (1824-1899) was a Belgian Realist painter of landscapes. He was a student of Eugène De Block in Antwerp and also spent time in Barbizon and Munich. His time in Barbizon encouraged a 'plein air' approach, that is, direct observation and recording of nature and transitory effects of light or at least the impression of such and of having been painted out of doors. De Schampheleer also painted in Gelderland, Holland where he developed a style which looked back to the 17th century Dutch landscape tradition. In 1869, De Schampeleer became knight in the Order of King Leopold. He contributed to several exhibitions and obtained gold medals at the Munich Salon of 1864, Brussels in 1866, Berlin in 1872 and Paris in 1877.

1056-1886