Wax seal provides a clue
The canvas was probably cut into two halves between 1875 (Corot’s death) and 1878 (acquisition of Landscape with Horseman by the Mesdags), and subsequently mounted on two separate panels (marouflaged). The wax seal with the text Vente Corot on the back of the Landscape with an Angler panel is a significant help in dating this marouflage.
Annual rings of softwood can be seen in the lacunas in this wax seal, while the annual rings in the wood that was chosen for the marouflage reveal characteristics of a different type of wood. Softwood was traditionally used for stretcher frames, to which canvases were pinned.
When the seal was removed from the softwood stretcher frame, some wood from the frame probably stuck to the seal. It is possible that the wax seal was added to the half of the painting without a signature, which went on to lead its own life as Landscape with an Angler, to make it clear that this work was from the artist’s estate.
Acquisition by the Mesdags
The Mesdags acquired Landscape with an Angler in 1889, eleven years after the acquisition of Landscape with Horseman. It is unfortunately not known whether the Mesdags realised that the landscapes were once joined, but the paintings were given similar frames, from D. Sala & Sons in Leiden, and they were often exhibited as a pair.
Restoration
Following this discovery, the decision was made to treat the two works. Surface dirt and the glossy, yellowed varnishes were removed. Which resulted in a better view of the original colours, brush strokes and compositions of the two paintings. Minor damages in the paint layers were retouched, helping to improve the readability of the compositions.
A digital reconstruction shows how the picture would have looked before the works were separated. There are no plans to reunite the two paintings, due to the risks involved. The two individual panels combined reveal the history of the original painting.
René Boitelle
Senior Restorer of Paintings
Van Gogh Museum