Count Moritz Christian Johann von Fries (1777–1826), Vienna;
His sale, London, Christie's, 26 June 1824, lot 40, for £62, to Rutley;
Purchased from Rutley by James Ewing, 1 July 1824;
Ian Hamilton, Lowood House, Melrose, Roxburghshire, Scotland, by 1824;
By inheritance at Lowood House to the present owner.

S. Slive, Jacob van Ruisdael, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, Drawings and Etchings, New Haven and London 2001, p. 211, cat. no. 227, reproduced.

The following condition report is provided by Hamish Dewar who is an external specialist and not an employee of Sotheby's: Structural Condition The canvas has been lined some time ago and this is ensuring a stable structural support. There is a pattern of very fine lines of drying craquelure which are entirely stable. Paint Surface The paint surface has a discoloured varnish layer with a number of minor surface deposit spots. The painting should respond very well to cleaning. There is a very small damage in the lower right corner. Inspection under ultra-violet light confirms how discoloured the varnish layers have become and retouchings are difficult to quantify as the varnish layers are so opaque. There would appear to be some very old retouchings in the upper left of the sky and there may be other retouchings beneath the old opaque varnish layers which are not identifiable under ultra-violet light. The various deposit spots are highlighted under ultra-violet light. The fine detail of the painting appears to be well preserved. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good and stable condition and should respond very well to cleaning and revarnishing.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

This waterfall in a mountainous northern landscape is dated by Slive to the 1660s, when the artist produced several versions of scenes of this type. Although Ruisdael never laid his eyes on landscapes such as the one he painted here, these works were directly influenced by the Nordic travels made by fellow painter Allart van Everdingen (1621–75). The inclusion of foreign fir and spruce trees, alongside the fast flowing and boulder filled rivers, are all reminiscent of the scenes depicted in Everdingen’s Scandinavian landscapes. It is likely that the various preparatory and experimental studies and sketches Ruisdael made of these northern waterfall scenes have been lost, as only one drawing of this motif survives. The vertical format and controlled perspective of this work, both of which the painter moved away from during the 1670s, also typifies this period of his career. Other good comparative pieces of this type can be found in the Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon, and the Dulwich Picture Gallery, London.¹

 

1 See S. Slive, Jacob van Ruisdael, A Complete Catalogue of His Paintings, Drawings and Etchings, Neꦍw Haven and 🐠London 2001, p. 210, cat. no. 226 and p. 204, cat. no. 212.