[Breda area] Dirk Verrijk (1734-1786). 4 framed views of villages near Breda

(1) Het dorp Groot Zundert, van den oliemolen te zien; (2) Het dorp Etten met deszelfs raadhuis; (3) Het dorp De Leur, van den Rietdyk te zien; (4) Het dorp Rysbergen. Drawings in coloured gouaches on laid paper (31 x 47 cm), c. 1778, showing views of the villages of Groot Zundert, Etten, Leur and Rijsbergen, all near Breda. Each drawing in mahogany-veneered wooden frame (63 x 79 cm; c. 1820?), under glass, outer part of the glass lacquered on the underside in black with a thick gold double-line (for Etten a thicker single-line) border around the drawing, gilt-lettered below.

Four lovely large views of four villages, all close to Breda in the Dutch province of North Brabant, drawn from life by the Haarlem painter Verrijk. Verrijk signed those of Groot Zundert (bottom right) and Etten (bottom left), both also "del. ad viv.". All 4 clearly match in format and style, almost certainly made as a series. At least the view of Etten has an inscription at the foot (not visible as framed) with the same title but in roman capitals in a c. 1820 style. (1) A view of Groot Zundert (now Zundert), with the Molenstraat from the site of the oil mill (present-day Molenstraat 125). Little or nothing survives of the buildings shown. (2) A view of Etten (now part of Etten-Leur) from the Markt showing the then new town hall (built in 1776) with the church tower behind it to the right. In the foreground at the right one can see a splendid step-gabled inn "De Zwaan" with a swan on its signboard (built c. 1629). All three survive, the latter as Restaurant De Zwaan. The green to the left remains open, but the houses on the left have not survived. (3) A view of Leur (now part of Etten-Leur) from the Rietdijk, apparently looking east from what is now the Korte Brugstraat, with step-gabled houses on either side and a road leading to a drawbridge over a canal (now a road: Geerkade and Van Bergenplein) in the centre and the 1614 Reformed Church (now the Trouwkerkje) on the right. The church survives, but little or nothing else. (4) A view of Rijsbergen, probably looking northeast from what is now the Antwerpseweg. The steeple of the former St Bavo Church (close to the site of the present St Bavo Catholic Church) can be seen above the trees in the background at right. Little remains of the buildings shown here, but the second building in the foreground at left (with a hanging sign board showing a coach, with the gable not visible in this side view) may be the present Lunch Sport Cafe Rijsbergen, Antwerpseweg 8. The view of Etten with a few small restorations along the edges, else all very good. Veneer of the frames with several small chips and the glass for Etten was replaced at a later date, its gold border and lettering also differ slightly from the other 3; frames else good. (total 4)