Hut among Trees

Hut among Trees is an oil-on-canvas landscape painted by Meindert Hobbema in 1664. No documentary evidence survives of a specific commission; the work likely entered the market as a standalone piece. Its earliest known owner was probably Hugh Hammersley (c.1774‑1840), whose estate sold it at Alexander Rainy’s London auction on 21 August 1841 (lot 57).

Thereafter it passed through the London dealer Charles J. Nieuwenhuys before being acquired by William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, by 1854. The painting remained in the Ashburton family by inheritance to Francis, then Alexander Hugh, and finally Francis Denzil Edward Baring, 5th Baron Ashburton. In 1907 it was jointly purchased by Thos.

Agnew & Sons, Arthur J. Sulley & Co., and Charles J. Wertheimer, and sold the following year to Peter A.B. Widener of Lynnewood Hall. After Widener’s death it passed to Joseph E. Widener, who gave it to the National Gallery of Art in 1942.

Hut among Trees entered the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., in 1942 as a gift from Joseph E. Widener, forming part of the institution's Widener Collection. This transfer followed the work's inheritance from the estate of Peter A.B. Widener, who had acquired the canvas in 1909 from the London dealer Arthur J. Sulley & Co. Prior to entering the Widener family holdings, the painting remained within the Baring family at Grange Park in Hampshire for several generations, passing from William Bingham Baring, 2nd Baron Ashburton, to his descendants until its joint purchase by dealers in 1907.

Earlier provenance records indicate the work appeared in the 1841 estate sale of Hugh Hammersley in London before being acquired by Charles J. Nieuwenhuys.

The provided sources do not list specific public exhibition history for this artwork.

Meindert Hobbema's Hut among Trees, an oil on canvas created around 1664, exemplifies the Dutch Golden Age landscape tradition. The painting captures a secluded rural dwelling nestled within a dense woodland, featuring a winding path and small figures. Hobbema was recognized for his detailed portrayals of forest interiors, often employing specific lighting to evoke a particular atmosphere within these natural settings.