Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944)

‘Grazende kalfjes’ / Grazing cows in a polder landscape

originally signed ‘P Mondriaan.’, now reads 'F Mondriaan' (lower left); signed again, titled and annotated with the artist’s address ‘Ringdijk 81’ (on the stretcher)

oil on canvas, 48x67,5 cm
Painted circa 1901-1903.

Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity by Dr. Joop M. Joosten, 18 February 2008.

Exhibited:
-Amsterdam, Stedelijk Museum, ‘Kunstwerken van levende Meesters’, 12 September-15 November 1903, cat. no. 359, as: ‘Grazende kalfjes’.
-Tsinandali, Georgia, Alexander Chavchavadze House Museum, ‘Once upon a time in Holland, The young Piet Mondriaan and the masters who inspired him’, 1 May-30 June 2011.
-Amersfoort, Mondriaanhuis, circa 2010-2014 (on loan).
-Amersfoort, Mondriaanhuis, ‘Mondriaan in de polder’, 8 September 2013-12 January 2014.
-Winterswijk, Villa Mondriaan, ‘Mondriaan en zijn leermeesters’, 16 May 2014-16 May 2015.
-Winterswijk, Villa Mondriaan, ‘Vee in beeld’, 4 March-4 September 2016.

Literature:
-Robert P. Welsh, ‘Piet Mondrian. Catalogue Raisonné of the Naturalistic Works (until early 1911)’, Blaricum 1998, p. 474, cat. no. UA16 (catalogue raisonné of the unidentified references).
-Joop M. Joosten, ‘Piet Mondrian. Catalogue Raisonné of the Work of 1911-1944’, Leiden/Toronto 1998, appendix, p. 23.

Provenance:
-(probably) Auction, B.L. Voskuil, Amsterdam, 4 May 1909, lot 191, as: Piet Mondriaan, ‘Landschap met vee’, oil on canvas, 50x70 cm (as far as we know this is the first Piet Mondriaan to be sold at auction).
-Private collection Simonis & Buunk, Ede, 2006.
-Auction, Venduehuis, The Hague, 16 November 2016, lot 335.

In the autumn 2007 there was a lot of discussion in the media about the ‘Grazende kalfjes’ (Grazing Calves) from 1902-1903. This painting was regarded as an authentic Frits Mondriaan, the uncle of Piet. The signature reads “F. Mondriaan”. However, close examination at the Delft University of Technology proved that the F originally was a P. Therefore the painting should be attributed to Piet Mondriaan. One might wonder why one would alter a Piet into a Frits Mondriaan. The answer could be that around 1900 Frits was better known than Piet, who was still trying to find his way in painting. The work of Frits was more sought after at that time. During examinations by Dr. Jan van der Lubbe at the Delft University of Technology and by Prof. Joris Dik at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility Grenoble a second discovery was made. Beneath the grazing cows was an earlier painting by Piet Mondriaan, a still life with apples and an oil lamp. The original first still life painting has possibly been exhibited at the ‘Tentoonstelling van kunstwerken vervaardigd door leden der maatschappij’ in April-May 1903 at Arti et Amicitiae in Amsterdam (described as a still life, same measurements). Piet Mondriaan made several still lives in this period; presumably he was not satisfied with the result and decided to paint the landscape instead. The stretcher also mentions a street name: Ringdijk 81, the house at Watergraafsmeer to which Piet Mondriaan and his brothers moved on the 6 May 1903. Piet stayed there until 18 January 1904, after which he moved to Uden. (See cat. rais. Mondriaan, vol. I, pag. 122-123).