HERMANUS II KOEKKOEK (1836 - 1909) (JAN VAN COUVER) View along the canal signed J VAN COUVER (lower right) oil on canvas 60 x 46 cm (23 3/4 x 18 in) J. Van Couver was one of several names adopted by Hermanus II Koekkoek. His father, Hermanus Koekkoek Snr (1815-1882), was a well established painter who encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps. Koekkoek Jnr achieved success not only in his native Holland but also in his adopted home of Britain. In order to avoid confusion between his work and that of his father's, Koekkoek junior began to paint under different pseudonyms, often signing his work Jan van Couver, as in the present lot. Between 1859 and 1869 he traveled back and forth between Holland and England, eventually settling in London in 1869.