Background

Cornelis Springer was born on March 25, 1817, in Amsterdam, Amsterdam municipality, Netherlands. He was the fourth son of the carpenter and contractor Willem Springer (1778 - 1857) and Maria Elisabeth Doetzen.

Education

Cornelis's elder brother, the architect Hendrik Springer (1805-1867) learned Cornelis Springer the exact drawing of buildings in perspective. He first studied for house painting under house painter and coach decorator Andries de Wit (1768-1842). Later, he studied under fine art painters like Jacobus van der Stok (1795-1864), Hendrik Gerrit ten Cate (1803-1856) and Kaspar Karsen (1810-1896).

Career

Cornelis Springer first worked as a landscape painter. Later he produced vivid romantic city-scapes of city hearts with a a great eye for detail. In so much detail that his paintings of now destroyed city centres have high historic value. His finest work appeared between 1855 and 1875 when he travelled around in Holland and Germany. In or after 1875 he became blind in one eye and his vision for detail diminished.

Achievements

• Cornelis Springer was renowned for his topographical accuracy and detail, combined with his interest in light and the play of light on architectural surfaces. Today, his works are in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Cheltenham Art Gallery & Museum, and the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, etc.

Works

More photos

• painting

  • Kerkegracht en Weeshuis in Leiden

  • View of Montelspran

    1845

  • Along the Canal

    1844

  • Vleeschhal and Grote Kerk in Haarlem

  • Many Figures On The Market Square In Front Of The Martinikirche, Braunschweig

    1874

  • A View Of The South Entrance Of The St. Pancras Church, Enkhuizen

    1869

  • A View of Franeker with the Zakkendragershuisje

  • Coming out of church

  • Walstraatje in Harderwijk

  • Voorburgwal in Amsterdam

  • Cityview

  • The Jewish quarter in Amsterdam

  • Weeshuis in Enkhuizen

  • Along The Canal

    1862

  • View behind the Grote Kerk in Naarden

  • A visit of Bayliff Ten Frootenhuys to the Guild of Archers

  • Street scene with figures

    1871

  • Market Oudewater

  • The Smithy of Culemborg in the Winter

    1860

  • Janskerk (Gouda)

    1863

  • Street view

  • Lombard Voorburgwal Amsterdam

  • View at Culemborg

  • Vissersdijk in Enkhuizen

  • Walenkerk Haarlem

  • The Town Hall and Market at Naarden

  • Binnenpoort in Culemborg

  • Church in Zaltbommel

  • A Busy Street In Bremen With The Saint Johann Church In The Background

    1864

  • A Country Road

    1886

  • Figures on the Bank in Deventer

    1888

  • Westermarket in Amsterdam

  • Village view

  • St. Michael Church in Zwolle

    1862

  • View of the old town hall in Arnhem, with fantasy elements

  • Street scene

  • Amstedam

    1850

  • View on Enkhuizen

  • Altstadtmarkt in Brunswijk

  • Cityhall Paderborn

  • A Cathedral On A Townsquare In Summer

  • Weeshuis in Kampen

  • City view

  • Figures in the Sunlit Streets of a Dutch Town

    1843

  • St. Joseph's Church in Hamelen

    1877

  • The Corner of Westerstraat and Tabakstraat in Enkhuizen

  • A Busy Market in Veere with the Clocktower of the Town Hall Beyond

  • Many figures in the streets of Haarlem

    1870

  • Church in Zaltbommel

  • Oudewater Street At Summer

    1878

  • City view with figures

  • Figures in a Street in Delft

    1853

  • Zuiderhavendijk, Enkhuizen

  • Springer Cornelis Figures In A Street In Delft

  • Cityview wiith marketstall

  • Study for View on Den Haag

  • Cityhall in Lbeck

  • Fantasy cityview of Maassluis

  • The construction of two gasholders for the Hollandsche Gazfabriek on the Schans

  • Brielle

  • Figures on a Market Square in a Dutch Town

  • The Herengracht aan de Amstel

  • Marketview with cityhall Woerden

  • Town Square Before A Church A Capriccio

  • Men in boat at choppy sea

  • View of Oudewater

  • The Oude Waag at the Westerkerk

  • Bookstall on the Noordermarket

  • A View of a Town along the Rhine

  • View on Heerengracht in Amsterdam

  • Cityview Hoorn

Membership

Cornelis Springer was a member of Felix Meritis.

Connections

On May 7, 1846 Cornelis Springer married Geertruij ten Cate (1819 -1902). They had three daughters (1847, 1850, 1856) and one son Leonard (1855). Leonard Springer became a famous garden and landscape architect and arborist.

Father:

Willem Springer

Mother:

Maria Elizabeth Doetzen Springer

Spouse:

Geertruij ten Cate Springer

Brother:

Hendrick Springer

Son:

Leonard Springer

References

• Cornelis Springer: Geschilderde steden (Dutch Edition)