Aelbert Cuyp, Dutch, 1620-1691
Title: Landscape with a Youth and his Tutor on Horseback
Date: c.1650-1652
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
109.2 x 149.8 cm
Signed: lower right: Cúyp
Credit Line: Purchased, with the support of the Heritage Fund, 2005
Object Number: NGI.4758
DescriptionCuyp is chiefly known for his idyllic river views with cows lit by the soft, golden glow of an Italian sun. This picture, however, belongs to a small group of grand equestrian paintings dating to the early 1650s. Cuyp depicts a young man in fashionable attire in the presence of an older companion, probably his tutor, leading the way. The setting is a hilly landscape near a lake, in the middle of a hunt. In the background are two other hunters on horseback with two servants on foot trying to keep up with the dogs.
Cuyp’s work was particularly popular with English, Scottish and Irish collectors in the eighteenth century. Landscape with a Youth and his Tutor on Horseback was no exception, and was owned by the Dukes of Leinster, probably James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster (1722–1773), or his son William (1749–1804), and most likely hung in Leinster House, Dublin. When the property was sold in 1815, the painting probably moved to Carton House, County Kildare. The family sold the painting between 1909 and 1927, and it then left Ireland.
March 2016
Cuyp’s work was particularly popular with English, Scottish and Irish collectors in the eighteenth century. Landscape with a Youth and his Tutor on Horseback was no exception, and was owned by the Dukes of Leinster, probably James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster (1722–1773), or his son William (1749–1804), and most likely hung in Leinster House, Dublin. When the property was sold in 1815, the painting probably moved to Carton House, County Kildare. The family sold the painting between 1909 and 1927, and it then left Ireland.
March 2016
ProvenanceProbably James Fitzgerald, 1st Duke of Leinster, or his son William, 2nd Duke of Leinster, displayed at Leinster House, Dublin; loaned by Augustus Frederick, 3rd Duke of Leinster, from Carton House, County Kildare, in 1853; by descent at Carton until after 1909; Mrs Howard Spaulding, Chicago, by 1927; Lewis & Simmons, New York, 1930, where purchased by Charles C. Hickox, New York, by 1939; Acquavella Galleries, New York, where purchased by S. Thomas Fee, Oklahoma City in 1979; Christie's, New York, 9 May 1985, lot 5 (unsold); Newhouse Galleries, New York, where purchased by a Private Collector in 1985 or shortly after; purchased, Sotheby's, London, 7 December 2005, lot 16
Exhibition HistoryArt Surpassing Nature: Dutch Landscapes in the Age of Rembrandt and Ruisdael, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 29 October 2012 - 20 January 2013
Irish Industrial Exhibition: A Gallery of Old Masters, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, 1853
Ancient and Modern paintings, Irish Institution, Dublin, 1854
Loan exhibition of paintings, Art Institute, Chicago, 1927
A Century of Progress, Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute, Chicago, 1933
Masterpieces of Art, World's Fair, New York, 1939
Paintings of the Great Dutch Masters of the Seventeenth Century, Duveen Galleries, New York, 1942
Dutch Painting: The Golden Age, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1954-1955
Treasures in America, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, 1961
Old Master Paintings: Cranach to Corot, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, 1982
De Zichtbaere Werelt. Schilderkunst uit de Gouden Eeuw in Hollands oudste stad, Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht, 1992-1993
Taking Stock: Acquisitions 2000-2010, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 13 March 2010 - 25 July 2010
Irish Industrial Exhibition: A Gallery of Old Masters, Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, 1853
Ancient and Modern paintings, Irish Institution, Dublin, 1854
Loan exhibition of paintings, Art Institute, Chicago, 1927
A Century of Progress, Exhibition of Paintings and Sculpture, Art Institute, Chicago, 1933
Masterpieces of Art, World's Fair, New York, 1939
Paintings of the Great Dutch Masters of the Seventeenth Century, Duveen Galleries, New York, 1942
Dutch Painting: The Golden Age, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Art, Toledo, Ohio; Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 1954-1955
Treasures in America, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, 1961
Old Master Paintings: Cranach to Corot, Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, 1982
De Zichtbaere Werelt. Schilderkunst uit de Gouden Eeuw in Hollands oudste stad, Dordrechts Museum, Dordrecht, 1992-1993
Taking Stock: Acquisitions 2000-2010, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 13 March 2010 - 25 July 2010
Label TextCuyp is known for his idyllic river views with cows, lit by the soft, golden glow of an Italian sun. This picture, however, belongs to a small group of grand equestrian portraits painted by the artist in the early 1650s. Cuyp depicted the young man in fashionable attire in the presence of an older companion, probably his tutor, who leads the way. Cuyp’s painting was owned by the Dukes of Leinster and most likely hung in Leinster House, Dublin. Sold between 1909 and 1927, the picture left Ireland but was acquired in 2005 with the support of the Heritage Fund.