Focus on The Jewish Cemetery and explain the Provenance.
The known provenance for the painting dates back only to 1739 and its original owner is not documented. While it is not known whether the painting was produced under commission, some scholars have theorized that it was possibly made for a member of Montalto's family, as his tomb is prominent in the image and is highlighted with a concentration of light leading the eye to the tomb as if the light were coming from the heavens. On September 22, 1783 the painting was sold at an auction of Pieter Locquet's collection in Amsterdam, before appearing again at auctions in Paris in 1790 and 1802. Around 1815 the painting was purchased from a banker in Paris by Huybens, who imported the work into England. It was sold three more times, including the 1828 sale to the Mackintosh collection, where it was later catalogued in 1835. The Jewish Cemetery ceased to be exhibited publicly some time after it was cataloged in England in 1835. In the 1920s, the painting was rediscovered in London and by 1925 it was included in the Kaiser Friedrich Museum Museumsverein exhibition Old Masters from Berlin Collections, in Berlin. In 1926, the painting was donated to The Detroit Institute of Arts by Mr. Julius H. Haass, in memory of his brother Dr. Ernest W. Haass.
The Jewish Cemetery Amsterdam Detroit Institute of Arts Kaiser Friedrich Museum