Art Funded by you

The Fortress of Königstein from the North

Bernardo Bellotto, 1756-1758

Created by Canaletto's nephew, Bernardo Bellotto, this magnificent view of a fortress near Dresden now adds a welcome North European perspective to the National Gallery's collection of largely Italian Southern European 18th-century view-paintings, as Chris Smith explains.

Created by Canaletto's nephew, Bernardo Bellotto, this magnificent view of a fortress near Dresden now adds a welcome North European perspective to the National Gallery's collection of largely Italian Southern European 18th-century view-paintings, as Chris Smith explains. The National Gallery was founded in order to place before the public the very finest examples of the greatest painters of the European artistic tradition. Its collection is relatively small, but it does contain exquisite examples of all the greatest artists. So when a painting comes up for sale that is undoubtedly among the very finest by an important 'landscape view' painter of the 18th century, and is purchased by a private overseas collector, and is export-stopped in order to see if it can be rescued for the British public, the National Gallery rightly pulls out all the stops to see if it can acquire it. I'm delighted that the gallery has indeed been successful in this instance – Bernardo Bellotto's The Fortress of Königstein from the North – and Art Fund has been proud to help, with a grant awarded earlier this year of £550,000. Bellotto was Canaletto's nephew, and he learned his trade at his uncle's easel, developing a similar view-painting style but with his own distinctive touches.

In his mid-twenties he was called to the court of Augustus III at Dresden, becoming his court painter. And it was around 10 years later, in 1756-58, that he painted five views from different angles of the Fortress of Königstein, a dramatic castle bestriding a rocky outcrop above the River Elbe some 25 miles from Dresden. All five paintings found their way soon afterwards to Britain, though one was sold some years ago to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Two are in Manchester, and one is in the Earl of Derby's collection. This painting, viewing the castle from the north, is by far the finest of the five. It is at the pinnacle of Bellotto's East European landscape paintings – and indeed will be the only one of these northern works of his in a public collection in Britain. It is a glorious painting. The castle is rendered with exquisite detail. You can see the crumbling stonework, the turrets and chimneys and outbuildings, the scaffolding where work is under way, the builders toiling, the tiny figure of a soldier atop the ramparts. The fortress is set monumentally against a pale sky, a place of strength and intimidation but also of detailed beauty. And in the foreground there are peasants and oxen and a horse with its rider (all rather more carefully pictured than most of the figures in paintings by Canaletto), inhabiting a broad green landscape that contrasts perfectly with the castle walls behind, lit by strafing sunlight.

For most of us, view-paintings of the 18th century are synonymous with Italy, and especially Venice. And indeed, the only other Bellotto in the National Gallery's collection is of Venice. Yet Bellotto went on to do his greatest and most distinctive work to the north of the Alps, especially during his years in Dresden. The fact that such a wonderful example of this best work now sits proudly amongst the Italian views in the National Gallery really does help to secure the comprehensiveness of the collection. And – as well as making it a centrepiece of its Barry Rooms at Trafalgar Square – the National Gallery will be taking this Bellotto on tour around the country, partnering with galleries in Manchester, Cardiff, Sunderland and Norwich. For me, there's another reason why this acquisition is so significant, beyond the exquisite nature of the painting, and the importance of its standing within the view-painting tradition. It is, I believe, the only painting in our National Gallery that depicts this part of eastern Germany, the 'Saxon Switzerland'. In these post-referendum times, surely our nation's premier collection of European art should also include work from this part of our continent? We are adrift as a nation at the moment, searching for a sense of identity and how that might relate to the rest of Europe; and the greatest art can help us to explore and understand some of these things in ways that even the best political discourse cannot. Bernardo Bellotto can, I know, help us in that exploration.

More information

Title of artwork, date

The Fortress of Königstein from the North, 1756-1758

Date supported

2017

Medium and material

Oil on canvas

Dimensions

132.1 x 236.2 cm

Grant

550,000

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