painting (oil): ["Mountainous Landscape with Peasants, Cows and Goats"]

A silver birch tree and two stumps are located in the left foreground, their silver bark brightly illuminated where they catch the light. At the right, another tree stump is cast in shadow and across the bottom of the picture is a fallen branch. Two goats and a brown cow occupy the middle distance and beyond them two peasants with a dog, one in red, the other blue, engage in conversation. On a slight rise near the men, three cows are grazing. There are distant mountains on the right which are tinged with a rosy hue as the sun sets behind them. Virag 20/12/2004, Between 1984 and 1985, a research assistant, Dr. Brendan Cassidy, was employed by Nottingham Castle Museum to research and write a catalogue of the foreign oil paintings in their collection. The catalogue never materialised, but drafts and notes relating to Cassidy's research can be found in the Artist Files and in the Archive at the museum. All references to Cassidy relate to these documents. NCM 1904-96 is now considered to be a copy, probably of the late 17th century, after a signed work by Pynacker, "Landscape with a Silver Birch" (also known as "Lanscape with Hunters") in the Ringling Museum of Art, Florida. This work has been dated c.1670. NCM 1904-96 was fully restored in 1983 by Jesse Bruton Picture Restoration, Wolverhampton, when extensive overpaint and old varnish were removed. A signature, "A. Pynacker", was found to be false and was removed. Paint loss and considerable abrasion of the surface necessitated considerable re-touching. The canvas was found to have been re-lined three times. The reverse of NCM 1904-96 could only be examined partially a sit could not be removed from the rack in store: 1. Label on top of frame: "25" 2. NCM accession number Cassidy's more detailed notes on the reverse taken c.1984 document: 3. Label on stretcher: D1442 Cost £10/7/- Extras 4. Label on stretcher, in ink: "42" 5. Inscription on lining canvas: 240 ----- 33 6. Inscription on lining canvas, in stencil: B. 4 Virag 20/12/2004, Collection of Richard Godson Millns.