Pieter Molijn (1595-1661)

A Landscape with a Huntsman

Haarlem, Holland, possibly the 1640s

Oil on wood

33 x 54.6 cm

This beautifully preserved landscape is typical of the artist’s panoramic views with their spacious open skies. 

The huntsman in the foreground and the church in the distance are the only incidents in a relatively featureless landscape.  Interest depends on the artist’s painterly style which enlivens the subtle, though restricted, palette of greys, greens, browns and blues.

Molijn’s style marked a transition between the older tonal approach of Van Goyen, to whom this painting was once attributed, and the more naturalistic approach of the new generation.

Purchased 1952 (No.52.2)