Object ID	N0366.1954
Title	Van Bergen Overmantel
Artist	Heaten, John (attributed to)
Object Name	Painting
Early Date	1728
Late Date	1738
Exhibit label line3	This painting of the Marten Van Bergen farm in Leeds, New York, conveys more visual information about Dutch life in America than any other surviving object of the period. It is the only contemporary representation of a colonial period Dutch farm and among the earliest representations of the American landscape, as it includes a panoramic view of the Catskill Mountains in the distance. Besides the house, a Dutch barn, two Dutch hay barracks, a blacksmith shop, and the gable of a second house are illustrated. The people depicted include the Van Bergen family, indentured servants, slaves, and two Esopus Indians. Most Dutch farms were primarily devoted to such cash crops as wheat and peas. The farm animals seen here --horses, cows, sheep, and chickens-- supplied the needs of the family, servants, and slaves. John Heaten was an Englishman who married a Dutch woman and painted portraits in the Upper Hudson Valley in the 1730s and 1740s.
Description	Long narrow overmantel, with red roofed Dutch style house in center. Dutch barn and hay barracks in center left, numerous figures of people (including settlers, Indians and slaves) along brown dirt path running the length of the painting, along with many animals including horses, sheep dogs. View of Catskills in distance behind Van Bergen house. Overmantel is constructed of two planks of wood and framed by narrow black moulding. No marks.
Classification	Building & Furnishing--Architectural--Fragment
Material	Oil on cherry wood, secured with white pine battens
Place of Origin	Leeds, Greene County, NY

Prior written permission is required for any reproduction, redistribution, publication, or other use of the images in any media, including but not limited to, printed or electronic media. Contact the Office of the Registrar, New York State Historical Association, PO Box 800, Cooperstown, NY 13326, (607) 547-1444, to request permission.    
Last modified on: November 04, 2005