The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 24, 2024

A Cottage in the Woods

A Cottage in the Woods

c. 1662
(Dutch, 1638–1709)
Framed: 122.5 x 149 x 12 cm (48 1/4 x 58 11/16 x 4 3/4 in.); Unframed: 84 x 111.4 cm (33 1/16 x 43 7/8 in.)

Did You Know?

A windmill, an important symbol of Dutch identity, can be found in the background of this painting.

Description

Inspired by the native Dutch landscape, Meindert Hobbema specialized in scenes of dense forest growth punctured by winding paths and views toward sunlit clearings that beckon with fertile fields and rustic cottages. Hobbema’s paintings were especially popular among Dutch citizens, who took enormous pride in their land. In addition to nationalistic pride in having recently gained independence from Spain, there was also a profound awareness of the preciousness of land in a low-lying nation, which required dikes, pumps, and constant vigilance to guard against flooding. While the Dutch earned much of their considerable wealth from sea trade, agriculture and livestock were important sources of prosperity.
  • Mrs. W. Atherton, 1823;
    Judge Sir James Alan Park (1763-1838), who was married to a daughter of Richard Atherton of Preston; Colonel H. M. Clark, London, 1919;
    [Colnaghi & Co., London, 1920];
    [M. Knoedler & Co., New York];
    John L. Severance, Cleveland, upon his death, held in trust by the estate.
    Estate of John L. Severance Collection, by bequest to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942.
  • John Long Severance Art Collection Photographs: Furniture, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. Reproduced: p. 301 archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Catalogue of the Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition of the Cleveland Museum of Art: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition : June Twenty-Sixth to October Fourth 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: [Cleveland Museum of Art], 1936. Mentioned: cat. no. 223, p. 90, Reproduced: pl. LV
    Broulhiet, Georges. Meindert Hobbema (1638-1709); Paris, France: Firmin-Didot, 1938. Reproduced: p. 311
    Catalogue of the John L. Severance Collection: Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1942. Mentioned: p. 22, cat. no. 7; Reproduced: p. [23], Plate IX, cat. no. 7 archive.org
    Francis, Henry S. "Bequest of John L. Severance, 1936." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art XXIX, no. 9 (November 1942): 130-136. Reproduced: p. 134
    Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Loan Exhibition of Great Paintings; Five Centuries of Dutch Art, March 9th to April 9th, 1944; Under the Distinguished Patronage of His Excellency the Earl of Athlone, Governor-General of Canada, and H.R.H. the Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone, and H.R.H. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands; for the Benefit of the Children of Great Britain, the Netherlands and Occupied Countries of Europe. Exposition De Tableaux Célèbres; Cinq Siècles D'art Hollandais, Du 9 Mars Au 9 Avril 1944; Sous Le Haut Patronage De Son Excellence Le Comte D'Athlone, Gouverneur-Général Du Canada, De Son Altesse Royale La Princesse Alice, Comtesse D'Athlone, Et De Son Altesse Royale La Princesse Juliana De Hollande; Au Profit Des Enfants De Grande Bretagne, De Hollande, Et Des Nations Occupées D'Europe. Mentioned: cat. no. 87
    Paintings in the Cleveland Museum of Art. [Cleveland]: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1945. Reproduced: p. 21 archive.org
    Coe, Nancy. The History of the Collecting of European Paintings and Drawings in the City of Cleveland. Thesis M.A. Oberlin College, 1955. Reproduced: Vol. II, p. 232, no. 7, pl. XLVII
    Milliken, William Mathewson. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Great Museums of the World Series. New York, NY: H.N. Abrams, 1958. Reproduced: p. 42
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 444 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 126 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 126 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 163 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Catalogue of Paintings, Part 3: European Paintings of the 16th, 17th, and 18th Centuries. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1982. Mentioned: p. 240; Reproduced: p. 241
  • Object Lessons: Cleveland Creates an Art Museum. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 7-September 8, 1991).
    Dutch Art and Life in the Seventeenth Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (July 10-September 2, 1973).
    Royal Institute, Liverpool, United Kingdom (1823).
    Dutch Painting, The Golden Age. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-February 27, 1955).
    Exhibition of a Single Fine Painting. Akron Art Museum, Akron, OH (organizer) (December 1, 1951-January 1, 1952).
    Exhibition of Great Paintings; Five Centuries of Dutch Art. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts (organizer) (March 9-April 9, 1944).
    Exhibition of the John L. Severance Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (November 12, 1942-March 14, 1943).
    The Twentieth Anniversary Exhibition: The Official Art Exhibit of the Great Lakes Exposition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 26-October 4, 1936).
  • {{cite web|title=A Cottage in the Woods|url=false|author=Meindert Hobbema|year=c. 1662|access-date=24 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1942.641