Where can I see The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest?

The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest?

The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest is associated with Rococo painting.

Can I buy a print of The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest?

Museum-quality prints of The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest

Johann Christian Vollerdt , 1750

The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest is an oil painting by the Rococo painting artist Johann Christian Vollerdt. It dates from 1750 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Technique & Style

The handling of the oil medium allows for the rendering of these subjects on the stretched canvas, characteristic of the artist's approach during this period.

Created in 1750, The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest is an oil painting executed on a canvas support. The work measures 60.5 cm in height and 75 cm in width. As a landscape painting by Johann Christian Vollerdt, the piece depicts specific natural and man-made elements, including trees and a boat within the forest setting.

The handling of the oil medium allows for the rendering of these subjects on the stretched canvas, characteristic of the artist's approach during this period.

History & Provenance

The painting The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest was created in 1750 by Johann Christian Vollerdt as an oil on canvas work measuring 60.5 cm by 75 cm. It entered the collection of Cornelis Calkoen and later Nicolaas Calkoen before being acquired by the Rijksmuseum, where it remains in the museum's holdings. The composition depicts a boat and a tree within a forested landscape.

The work is held in the Rijksmuseum collection and is catalogued under the accession number 2011 SK-A-1604. It entered the museum's holdings as part of the legacy of Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen. The painting was exhibited in the Rijksmuseum's 2011 exhibition titled 'Dutch Masters of the 18th Century'.

Context

Johann Christian Vollerdt's 1750 painting The Water Reservoirs, the so-called Bends, in Belgrade Forest depicts a boat and tree on canvas, measuring 75 cm by 60.5 cm, and entered Dutch collections through the ownership of Cornelis Calkoen and Nicolaas Calkoen before residing in the Rijksmuseum, where it remains part of the Dutch East India Company trade legacy

Scholarship on the work remains limited, with no major critical analyses documented in available sources, though its stylistic placement within 18th-century Dutch landscape painting continues to inform broader studies of Vollerdt's oeuvre within the artist's historical context of maritime trade influences

Overview

Johann Christian Vollerdt’s oil painting, dated around 1750, portrays the so‑called Bends, water reservoirs situated within the Belgrade Forest. Executed in a modest size, the work captures a tranquil park scene where water descends a series of steps into a central pond, framed by a stone‑and‑wood bridge and scattered foliage.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on everyday leisure: a small boat drifts on the pond, while figures are shown fishing, strolling, or seated along the banks. A solitary tree and the gently curving watercourse suggest a harmonious relationship between nature and human recreation within the forested landscape.