Willem de Klerk (Dutch artist, born Dordrecht 1800 – died Dordrecht 1876)“Hilly Landscape near Kleve with Peasants and their Flock on a Dirt Road, on the Right an old Watermill and in the Distance the small Dutch Town of ‘s-Heerenberg”Signed lower left: “W de Klerk”Oil on canvas Size: 59.5 x 87.5 cm. (Framed)Estimate 1,500 – 2,000 euroNOTEWillem de Klerk was a Dutch painter of landscapes and born in the city of Dordrecht, near Rotterdam. He was a student of Pieter Hofmann (drawing) and Adrianus van der Koogh (painting). De Klerk painted landscapes with in a romantic style. Together with painter Matthijs Quispel, he made several trips. To the Ardennes and Luxembourg in 1827/28 and in 1932 to Breda. In 1835 he travelled via Nijmegen to German city of Kleve en along the Rhineland en in 1938 as far as to Bavaria, Bohemia and Saxony. From 1817 on De Klerk was a member of the Dordtse drawing society Pictura, of which he became an honorary member in 1868. His early work was manly in the tradition of Jacob van Strij and his later landscapes were strongly influenced by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek who lived in Kleve. Willem de Klerk (Geb. Dordrecht 1800 – overl. Dordrecht 1876)“Heuvelachtig landschap bij de Duitse stad Kleve met een zandweg, waarop enkele herders en hun kudde. Rechts een oude watermolen en in de verte de contouren van het Hollandse plaatsje ’s-Heerenberg”Gesigneerd links onder: “W de Klerk”Olieverf op doek, afmeting 59.5 x 87.5 cm.(In lijst)