The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 14, 2026

A horizontally oriented etching on cream paper uses dense, linear hatching to create a scene of a harbor on choppy water. Centered, a large three-masted ship with billowing sails heads toward a distant city skyline. A smaller boat drifts left, while a vessel with figures moves right. In the foreground, weathered posts and a barrel float amidst cresting waves. Fine, rhythmic lines create a clouded sky above a low horizon punctuated by thin masts.

Marine Scene with Amsterdam in the Distance

1701

Ludolf Backhuysen

(Dutch, 1631–1708)
published by

Ludolf Backhuysen

(Dutch, 1631–1708)
Netherlands, early 18th century
etching
Sheet: 22.3 x 29.3 cm (8 3/4 x 11 9/16 in.); Platemark: 17.8 x 23.5 cm (7 x 9 1/4 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1924.848.5
Catalogue raisonné: Hollstein 5 (I.57)
Location: Not on view
  • Gallant Ships and Bully Boys. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 6-August 3, 1986).
  • {{cite web|title=Marine Scene with Amsterdam in the Distance|url=false|author=Ludolf Backhuysen, Ludolf Backhuysen|year=1701|access-date=14 September 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1924.848.5