Gezicht op den Leidschegracht naar de Heerengracht te Amsterdam omstreeks het jaar 1670: Amsterdam in summer

Cornelis Springer was a well respected figure in the artistic circles of Amsterdam during the second half of the 19th century. The present lot depicts a crowded street along the Leidsegracht in Amsterdam with the Herengracht beyond. Two burly men on the left are unloading their cargo in order to bring it inside the town house, where a maid is already waiting on the doorstep. Two elegantly dressed men in conversation are accompanied by an equally well-dressed boy and their dog. In the canal, a boatman is pushing his vessel away from the quay whilst a little dog is barking at him. Except for the staffage this part of Amsterdam still looks remarkably similar. We can identify Leidsegracht numbers 2, 4, 6 and 8 and the building on the corner is Herengracht 394.

The treatment of light in the present painting is extraordinary. The sun enters the painting from the right which would in reality be the south, suggesting it is midday. The trees cast shadows on the houses which indicate movement as if a light breeze is blowing through the long branches and leaves. Although the architecture in the background is only faintly visible, Springer has put the group of houses beyond the townspeople in direct sunlight thereby increasing the sense of depth in the work. As an accomplished panel picturing Amsterdam, the present lot is an engaging and scarce subject within the artist's distinguished oeuvre.