Our painting, monogrammed “AC”, was in the past given to Aelbert Cuyp. Our painter, Abraham van Calraet was indeed strongly influenced by his master whose paintings, especially his landscapes with a golden morning or evening light, were very sought after during the 18th and 19th century, in Holland, France and especially in England.

 

Today, a fair number of landscapes with horses, stable interiors and still lifes with peaches have been rightfully re-attributed to van Calraet.

 

 

Dutch painter

Dordrecht 1642 - 1722 Dordrecht

 

Versatile painter of very different subjects: some thirty still lifes of fruit (especially of peaches) and two of shells, many animal scenes (especially of horses in landscapes or in stables), occasionally of portraits, history subjects, cavalry battle scenes, genre scenes,  architectural subjects and winter landscapes. He also painted a single flower and a single fish still life.

 

Pupil of Aelbert Cuyp. 

Van Calraet's father, Pieter Jansz. van Calra, was a wood sculptor, so our painter first studied under the sculptor Samuel Huppe. Abraham started as an assistant-sculptor of his father.

 

In 1780 he married a daughter of the fellow townsman from Dordrecht and important portrait, still life and genre scene painter painter Cornelis Bisschop, who had passed away six years earlier, at the age of 44. Abraham van Calraet died at the age of 80.  

 

 

It was the infamous Dutch art historian Abraham Bredius who, at the outbreak of the First World War, correctly attributed paintings (especially peach still lifes) to our painter. In the past landscapes with horses, stable interiors and still lifes that were monogrammed “AC” had firmly been given to Aelbert Cuyp, whom van Calraet had studied with.

 

Few of our painter’s works are fully signed: he spelled his last name both with a C and with a K.

Now the differences between the artistic production of both painters has been firmly established. 

 

 

Because it is a beautiful and typical stable interior of van Calraet.