River Landscape with Fishing Boats and a Windmill on the Bank
XVII century.Not on display
Until 1920, this painting appears in the Prado catalogues as an original by Cornelis Molenaer (1530/50-1589). However, in the 1889 edition it is noted that Bredius believes it to have been painted by Pieter Nolpe (1613-1653). This attribution was officially accepted by the Museum from 1933 until the 1985 catalogue, when it is ascribed to Jan Coelenbier (1610-1680), as proposed by Valdivieso and supported by Jan Kelch.
The thick layer of oxidised glaze that covers the picture surface hampers proper appreciation of this work. Nevertheless, the schematic treatment of the water, with fine parallel strokes, is typical of Frans de Hulst, a disciple of Jan van Goyen, whose 1630s` landscapes, with fishing boats near the dykes, he follows closely.
Infra-red reflectography also reveals underdrawing (Posada Kubissa, T.: Pintura holandesa en el Museo Nacional del Prado. Catálogo razonado, 2009, pp. 304).
