Fishermen on the edge of a village - dated 1654.

 Oil on panel signed and dated lower right.

 Dimensions: 27,5 x 45,5 cm, with frame: 42 x 60 cm.

 Provenance: Maître Savot, Orléans, sale of 23/11/2000.

 A peaceful scene of everyday life, a typical subject of the golden age of Dutch painting, a warm golden palette, the finesse of the drawing, a layout composed of several planes, shadowed foliage in the foreground and the bridge in the background give this work an undeniable charm.

Dutch painter of the Golden Age. This period in the history of the Netherlands between 1584 and 1702, which saw the Republic of the United Provinces (now the Netherlands) rise to the rank of the world's leading commercial power, while the rest of Europe struggled in the throes of a recession, was favorable to artists. The freedom of The expression "Golden Age" covers above all a still unprecedented flowering of culture and art, often confined to the many masterpieces of Dutch painting of the XVII th century. It is called the "golden age of Dutch painting."

 One of the striking features of this period, compared to the preceding period, is the small number of religious paintings. Indeed, Dutch Calvinism forbade religious paintings in churches and, although biblical subjects were tolerated in private buildings, very few were made. The other traditional genres of history painting and portraiture are present, but the Dutch Golden Age is most notable for its great variety in other genres, such as scenes of peasant life, city views, landscapes with animals, scenes of maritime battles, and still lifes. The development of most of these painting genres was decisively influenced by Dutch artists of the XVII th century.

 Anthonie Jansz. van der Croos was born around 1606 in Alkmaar in the Netherlands. In 1634 he left Alkmaar and settled in The Hague. He became a member and secretary of the Confrérie Pictura in The Hague in 1656. He is known for his landscapes of rivers and forests, with villages, castles, palaces or towers in the background. 

The technique of Dutch artists is generally excellent, and most of them follow the old medieval method of apprenticeship with a master. For AJ Van der Croos, it was the painter Jan Van Goyen who was his teacher and influenced his work.

Museums: The Hague, Museum Bredius; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; Paris, the Louvre; Art Gallery of Great Victoria, British Columbia; United Kingdom, The Bowes Museum, Durham; Musée des Augustins, Toulouse; Museum of Fine Arts, Carcassonne.