Artwork
Swedish landscape with a waterfall
Swedish landscape with a waterfall is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Allart van Everdingen. It dates from 1662 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. Created in 1662 by Dutch painter Allaert van Everdingen, this oil on canvas portrays a rugged Swedish scene.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The goatherd and travelers signal a harmonious relationship between people and nature, while the waterfall's force conveys dynamism and the passage of time.
The painting depicts a rugged Scandinavian waterfall cascading between large boulders, framed by a dense forest on its banks. Typical log cabins line the shoreline, while travelers cross a fallen tree and a goatherd rests with his herd nearby. Iconographically, the work reflects Allaert van Everdingen's fascination with untamed Nordic nature, a motif he developed during his 1644–1645 journey through Sweden and Norway.
Though created in 1662, it draws on sketches made during that earlier expedition, transforming direct observation into a symbolic representation of wilderness as both sublime and inhabited. The composition blends topographical accuracy with poetic suggestion, positioning the landscape as a space of human activity and natural drama.
The subject embodies the Northern European fascination with rugged, untouched terrain, where human presence is modest yet integral to the environment. The goatherd and travelers signal a harmonious relationship between people and nature, while the waterfall's force conveys dynamism and the passage of time. This symbolism aligns with 17th-century Dutch landscape painting's broader themes of moral reflection and engagement with natural forces, positioning the scene not merely as scenery but as a narrative of coexistence.
Provenance traces the work from an 1851 auction of Anne Willem Carel van Nagell's collection in The Hague to Leendert Dupper's ownership in Dordrecht by 1870, eventually entering the Rijksmuseum's collection through Dupper's bequest.
Technique & Style
Swedish landscape with a waterfall is an oil painting executed on canvas, measuring 105 cm in height and 89 cm in width. The work depicts a dramatic natural scene where water cascades down between large rock formations at the edge of a forest. Stylistically, the composition features characteristic Scandinavian elements, including wooden cabins along the water's edge and travelers crossing a log on the right side.
In the lower right foreground, a goat herder rests on a tree trunk amidst his flock. The artist, Allaert van Everdingen, signed the piece 'A. v. Everdingen' on a stone visible among the greenery in the lower right corner.
This work reflects the artist's impressions from his travels in Norway and Sweden between 1644 and 1645, which he continued to translate into successful paintings long after his return.
History & Provenance
Allaert van Everdingen signed this work on a stone in the lower right corner. Although the artist traveled through Norway and Sweden between 1644 and 1645, he continued to produce paintings based on these impressions for many years; this specific canvas is dated to 1662.
The painting's early history may link it to a work titled Paysage en Norvège sold at the auction of Anne Willem Carel van Nagell's collection in The Hague on September 5, 1851. By approximately 1870, the artwork was owned by Leendert Dupper in Dordrecht. Upon his death that same year, Dupper bequeathed his entire collection, including this landscape, to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
The painting is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. It entered the museum's holdings around 1870 as part of a bequest from Leendert Dupper of Dordrecht, who owned the work prior to his death that year. The piece may be identical to a landscape titled 'Paysage en Norvège' that was auctioned in The Hague on September 5, 1851, during the sale of Anne Willem Carel van Nagell's collection.
No specific inventory or accession numbers are provided in the available records, nor are there details regarding public exhibitions subsequent to its acquisition by the museum.
Context
Allaert van Everdingen created this landscape in 1662, reflecting his significant role in shaping Dutch Golden Age approaches to Scandinavian subjects. His travels to Norway and Sweden between 1644 and 1645 informed his depictions of rugged terrain and cascading water, establishing a genre of topographical landscape painting that influenced contemporaries and later artists. The work features a dramatic waterfall framed by rocks, typical Scandinavian log cabins, and figures including travelers and a goatherd, blending natural observation with narrative elements.
It entered the Rijksmuseum collection through the legacy of Leendert Dupper, who bequeathed his holdings to the museum around 1870, following earlier ownership documented in the 1851 sale of Anne Willem Carel van Nagell's collection in The Hague.
Overview
Created in 1662 by Dutch painter Allaert van Everdingen, this oil on canvas portrays a rugged Swedish scene. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s interest in northern European landscapes during the Dutch Golden Age.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Allaert van Everdingen (Dutch pronunciation:; bapt. 18 June 1621 – 8 November 1675 (buried)), was a Dutch Golden Age painter and printmaker in etching and mezzotint.
