DIRCK STOOP Utrecht, Netherlands (1610) / (1686)... Lot n° 592

Oil on panel Signed in the lower left corner Dirk Stoop is known mainly for his work as a landscape painter and especially for his ability to depict horses. In 1638 he was admitted to the Guild of Saint Luke in Utrecht, and it is probable that he traveled to Rome between 1639 and 1645. There he must have had contact with other Dutch and Flemish painters who made port views of Italian influence fashionable . Among them would be Jan Baptist Weenix (1621-1660), of whom a drawing is preserved in the Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum in Braunschweig (sanguine, 21.9 x 33 cm, inventory number Z448) with the same scene, which would serve as inspiration to Stoop's present work. In it, in addition to the hustle and bustle of the characters, the presence of an imposing entrance arch stands out that would be directly inspired by Roman arches such as the Arch of Titus in Rome, which tells us about the great influence of classical antiquity in these northern painters. Measurements: 26 x 47 cm