Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778 – 1851)

Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778 – 1851) “The Mouth of a Dutch River, with Sailing Barges & Figures” Oil on canvas painting. Christie’s label verso. Size: 22 x 29 in. Unframed. Purchase price through Christie’s $32,600. (2010). The Dutch artist Johannes Hermanus Koekkoek (1778-1851) was a popular marine painter of the 19th century and is the father of the same-named painter family. It is presumed that the artists father was a boatman, what would explain Koekkoeks passion for seascapes. At first the artist took drawing lessons at the academy in Middelburg in the south of the Netherlands. At the beginning of the 1830s he went to Amsterdam with his family. He himself taught his four sons, who were talented landscape painters, in painting. The works of the artist were shown in contemporary national and international exhibitions. Koekkoek was guided by the works of the Dutch artists of the 17th century. His subjects included seascapes, townscapes and a few genre scenes.