Description:

numbered at bottom centre: 30 St
grey wash over black chalk
230 x 335 mm; 9 x 13 ¼ in

Note:

Due to the relative obscurity of Guilliam du Gardijn his works have, until recently, been commonly missatributed to the similarly named and more historically established figure of Karel Dujardin (1626-1678). However, thanks to recent research, fronted by Marijn Schapelhouman and the Rijksmuseum, the known elements and scattered oeuvre of this minor master’s life have been re-established.

This drawing by du Gardijn shows an Italianate river pass with a steep, rocky hillside stretching away along the river’s bend. Typically hasty, it was likely sketched with a half-dry brush. The heaviest accents are placed on the foreground shadows and delineation of the rocks. Wild creepers hang from these, whilst the trees on the far bank, bathed in light and outlined faintly in chalk, recede into the background.

Acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York