This Summer Landscape (circa 1615-1620) demonstrates the flourishing of Flemish landscape painting in the early 17th century.
Christoffel Van den Berghe presents an idyllic vision of summer rural life, characterized by descriptive precision inherited from the Northern tradition. The composition is organized around a riverside village where human activity harmonizes perfectly with the natural cycle. In the foreground, a boat laden with passengers evokes summer navigation, while a landing stage animated by figures in colorful costumes illustrates village activities. The vernacular architecture, with its tiled roofs and ochre facades, anchors the scene in Flemish reality. The summer luxuriance contrasts with the winter pendant of this seasonal series. Van den Berghe perfectly masters the art of atmospheric perspective, guiding the eye toward the distant town through a subtle interplay of successive planes. This aesthetic of everyday life appealed to the bourgeoisie, eager for these harmonious evocations.
Further information
- Christoffel Van den Berghe, Summer Landscape, circa 1615-1620
- 11.5 × 16.5 cm, oil on copper
- Mauritshuis, The Hague, displayed in Room 4
- https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/672-summer-landscape
Christoffel Van den Berghe (circa 1590-after 1628) belongs to the lineage of great Flemish landscape painters of the Antwerp School. Trained in the Bruegelian tradition, he developed a style characterized by meticulous observation of nature and seasonal human activities. Active primarily in Antwerp and Middelburg, Van den Berghe specialized in small-format landscapes, highly prized by the merchant bourgeoisie. His compositions, often organized in seasonal cycles, reveal a particular sensitivity to climatic variations and their repercussions on social life. Less well-known than his contemporaries Jan Brueghel the Younger or Joos de Momper, Van den Berghe nonetheless remains a valuable witness to Flemish art de vivre during the Golden Age.
A Painted Pair: Summer and Winter
Summer Landscape was never conceived as a standalone painting. It forms a pair with a Winter Landscape by the same Christoffel Van den Berghe, the two works complementing each other in a seasonal contrast: on one side, leafy trees, ducks on the water, and passengers enjoying a summer boat trip; on the other, the cold stillness of winter. This paired format was particularly popular among Flemish collectors in the early 17th century, who appreciated the ability to possess an entire natural cycle within the compact format of a cabinet painting.
Oil on Copper: A Choice of Precision
The choice of copper as a support is deliberate and significant. Smoother than wood or canvas, it allows a fineness of touch and a vibrancy of colour that are difficult to achieve on other surfaces. Small-format copper paintings such as this one, measuring just 11.5 × 16.5 cm, were prestigious objects coveted by the Flemish merchant bourgeoisie. The provenance of this work reflects that world exactly: it once belonged to the De Witte van Citters Collection in Middelburg, before being bequeathed to the Mauritshuis by Arnoldus Andries des Tombe in 1903.
Christoffel Van den Berghe: A Rediscovered Artist
For centuries, Christoffel Van den Berghe remained an obscure figure. His identity as an independent artist was only firmly established in the 1950s, when art historian Laurens Bol identified and grouped together the works bearing the monogram CvB. Historical records show that Van den Berghe enrolled in the Guild of Saint Luke in Middelburg in 1619, becoming its dean as early as 1621, a sign of rapid recognition among his peers. A still life by his hand was recorded in the collection of the Prince of Wales before 1625, evidence that his reputation extended well beyond local merchants. Today his works are held by major institutions including the Mauritshuis, the Getty Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the National Trust.
