View from the Artist no.2 - answer
August 11 2011
Picture: Morgan Library and Museum
Sorry if this one was a little tricky. One reader asked:
Anything to do with Cantagallina? The landscape itself reminded me of a drawing by Peter Hammann of Worms (St. Martin’s Church and its surroundings). The Church depicted in Hammann’s drawing (of 1692) was destroyed in 1689. Does the drawing depict Worms too?
Am I close?
Alas not. Another:
Hollar? St. Paul's Cathedral before the fire?
Nope. Right country though.
Another:
Is your view a detail from Van Dyck's drawing of Rye?
Yes! Well done indeed. The correct answer came from the Art department at the University of Kent, so perhaps a little local knowledge helped (Rye is in Sussex).
You can zoom into the picture in glorious detail here. Select 'full screen'. There are very few surviving landscape drawings by Van Dyck, and this one is my favourite. It was probably done while he was waiting for a ship to the continent, and is dated 27th August 1633. I love the idea of a bored Van Dyck, his artistic fingers itching, ambling up to the top of a hill and drawing the little town before him.
Picture: u3asites.org.uk
