I4 JACOB VAN RUISDAEL SECT. Signed in full to the right on a rock ; canvas, 27 inches by 21 inches. Engraved by W. Unger. Sales. G. G. Baron Taets van Amerongen, Amsterdam, July 3, 1805, No. 35 (750 florins, Josi). p. de Smeth van Alphen, Amsterdam, August i, 1810, No. 86 (740 florins, Coders) ; pendant to No. 85. In the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 1910 catalogue, No. 2080; it was there in 1835 (Sm., who valued it at 350). 22. THE CASTLE OF BENTHEIM. The yellow castle with blue roofs stands on a wooded hill to the right. Below, to the left, is a sandy road. Here stands a man in a red jacket, between a seated woman and a boy who stands up j the man points with outstretched arm to the left towards the blue hills in the distance. To the right of this group is a dog. In the left foreground is a tree-stump at the edge of the wood. The sky is covered with clouds illumined with yellow light from the left. A comparison made on the spot of Ruisdael's various views of the castle of Bentheim shows that he usually made the hill, on which the castle stands, appear much too lofty. The stepped gable of the castle has now been rebuilt in a modern Gothic style. The round tower, in proportion to its size, is lower than it seems in this Dresden picture ; so too is the roof. The bay windows shown in this picture no longer exist, having been replaced by balconies. The bastion is not round but makes a sharp angle. The roof is crowned by a sort of vase. The square tower with the square turret at the corner is placed more on the slant than in the picture, which represents the view from the north-north-west. Signed in full on the right at foot ; panel, 22 inches by 33 inches. Mentioned in the Dresden inventory of 1754, ii. 460. In the Dresden Gallery, 1908 catalogue, No. 1496. 23. THE CASTLE OF BENTHEIM. The castle with its many gables and two pointed turrets stands on a steep hill in the right middle distance. The front and right-hand side of the hill are covered with dark green trees, mostly in shadow. Below is an almost level plain or park. The left-hand side of the hill is overgrown with light green grass, with bushes and small trees at the foot. In the centre, at the bottom of the hill, is a little cottage with a roof of bright red tiles ; a flock of sheep are grazing to the right on the open slopes. Patches of blue are seen here and there in the stormy sky amid whirling clouds. The light falls from the left. Signed in full on the right at foot ; canvas, 15 inches by 18 inches. Exhibited at the Guildhall Art Gallery, London, 1890, No. 76. Purchased in 1850 from the London dealer Norton. In the collection of John Staniforth Beckett, inherited by Sir H. B. Bacon about 1890. In the collection of Sir Hickman Bacon, Bart., Gainsborough. 24. THE CASTLE OF BENTHEIM. On a hill to the left are high trees ; in front lies a tree-trunk. On the right a road winds up to the castle, which stands on a wooded hill in the background. In front
