The Approach of a Storm
(18th and 19th Centuries )
The son of a Flemish artist employed at the Sèvres Porcelain Manufactory, Van Marcke himself decorated porcelains at Sèvres for nine years. An older colleague, Constant Troyon, encouraged him to paint in oils directly from nature. In 1857, Van Marcke began to submit paintings to the Paris salons, and, within a few years he had gained renown as a painter of cattle, a category of art that appealed to city dwellers in Europe and America in the late 19th century. In this scene, Van Marcke depicts cattle grazing in the swamps of the Landes, a region along the southwest coast of France. In the background, a cowherd walking on stilts tends the cattle.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object.
Purchased by William T. Walters (through George A. Lucas as agent), Baltimore, June 8, 1872 [1]; inherited by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1894; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
[1] The Diary of George A. Lucas, p. 363.
Exhibitions
2014-2016 | From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
1998 | Before Monet: Landscape Painting in France and Impressionist Masters: Highlights from The Walters Collection. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
1872 | Salon, Paris, 1872. Palais de l'Elysees, Paris. |
Conservation
Date | Description | Narrative |
---|---|---|
1/1/1993 | Treatment | surface cleaned; varnish reduced; coated; inpainted; other |
Measurements
H: 57 1/2 x W: 79 1/8 in. (146 x 201 cm); Framed H: 77 × W: 99 7/16 × D: 8 1/16 in. (195.6 × 252.5 × 20.5 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by William T. Walters, 1872
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
37.77