BIRMINGHAM.- A Dutch landscape painting that has never been publically displayed before has been acquired for the nation and allocated to Birmingham’s Barber Institute of Fine Arts via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.

A Cavalry travelling through a Wooded Landscape by Salomon van Ruysdael (c.1600-3 – 1670), one of the pioneering painters of naturalistic landscapes in Holland during the 17th century, will go on display from Friday 24 May.

Ruysdael was a prominent painter of the Dutch Golden Age, and one of its pre-eminent exponents of landscapes. Frequently his work depicts a large body of water, whether a river, lake, or the sea, with vast mirrored skies. JMW Turner was among those inspired and influenced by Ruysdael’s expansive natural scenes.

He was born around 1600-3, in Naarden, Holland, before moving to Haarlem. By the 1620s he was painting landscapes, and by the 1630s was an important emerging artist in the ‘tonal’ style, characterised by subdued colours and modest subject matter, that became the hallmark of early Dutch realism. It was not until later in his career that he would turn to the increasingly bright and monumental ‘classical’ style. He was a member of the painters’ guild of Haarlem, and traded dyes as a merchant.

A Cavalry travelling through a Wooded Landscape dates to 1653, when Ruysdael had begun to shift from his ‘tonal’ style, in the vein of Pieter Molijn (1595-1661) and Jan van Goyen (1596-1656), to his later ‘classicising’ paintings. His famous nephew, Jacob van Ruisdael, was later to become the superlative practitioner of this style.

The change can be seen in the picture: the horizon is lower forcing the sky into greater prominence, and the composition has a central focus. A limited palette means the brightest colours – such as the orange of the cavalry’s clothing – are emphasised. Ruysdael’s expressive composition contrasts monumental trees bent by the wind, with a zigzagging pathway traversed by a cavalry train.

The Barber already has in its collection Molijn’s A Landscape with a Huntsman (c.1640s) and van Goyen’s Cottages in a Landscape with a Well (1631) which will serve as excellent predecessors to the more mature Ruysdael painting. Jacob van Ruisdael’s contemporary A Woodland Landscape (early 1650s), shows the influence of Salomon’s work - both paintings include a small pool surrounded by numerous large trees.

The Barber Institute’s Director Nicola Kalinsky says “This is a superb example by an artist not otherwise represented at the Barber where it will now be displayed alongside other significant lanscapes from the period, including one by his nephew, Jacob. This ability of our Birmingham gallery to represent the full range and achievement of this great moment of Western art is enormously enhanced by this generous allocation, and we are extremely grateful.”

She added “In recent years, Ruysdael’s work has surprisingly been neglected by scholars, which is in stark contrast to his continued popularity on the art market. Thanks to this Acceptance in Lieu there is now plenty of scope for new research into this painting, which has not previously featured in published academic works or been displayed in public.”

Michael Ellis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Arts, Heritage and Tourism said: “This is a wonderful acquisition for the Barber Institute and the city of Birmingham. Ruysdael’s landscapes inspired JMW Turner - one of the greatest British landscape painters of all time - and it is great news that this important work has been saved for the nation thanks to the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.”

Edward Harley OBE, Chairman, Acceptance in Lieu Panel said: “I am pleased to announce the allocation of this wonderful landscape by Salomon van Ruysdael to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Birmingham. Ruysdael was one of the most renowned and successful painters of the Dutch Golden Age, and I am thrilled that the Acceptance in Lieu scheme has enabled this work to be acquired on behalf of the public for display alongside other treasures at the Barber Institute.”