Artwork Page for Castle on a River

Details / Information for Castle on a River

Castle on a River

1644

Salomon van Ruysdael

(Dutch, 1602–1670)
Culture
Netherlands
Medium
oil on wood
Measurements
Framed: 57 x 79 x 5.5 cm (22 7/16 x 31 1/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 39.3 x 60.5 cm (15 1/2 x 23 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund 1973.2
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

Salomon van Ruysdael, the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael, here represents a free interpretation of the Castle Loevenstein. In addition to its picturesque qualities, the castle had great political and cultural importance as the official state prison and a key fort in the southern Netherlands. Painted just before the Dutch won independence from Spain in 1648, the painting likely expressed nationalist pride for its owner.
A horizontally oriented oil painting depicts a wide river landscape. In the foreground, four people sit in a wooden boat. To the left, a vessel with a tall white sail and red flag drifts across the water. On the right, a stone castle with pointed towers rises from a wooded bank. Above, a large, dark gray cloud hangs in the sky, while the low horizon glows with muted yellow and pink light.

Castle on a River

1644

Salomon van Ruysdael

(Dutch, 1602–1670)
Netherlands

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