Artwork
Fishermen and farmers
Fishermen and farmers is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Arent Arentsz. It dates from 1628 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Technique & Style
Fishermen and farmers, executed in 1628 by Arent Arentsz, is an oil painting on a panel support. The work measures 25.5 cm in height and 50.5 cm in width, presenting a landscape format typical of the genre. As a landscape painting, the piece relies on oil paint to render its scene, utilizing the panel as a rigid ground for the application of pigment.
History & Provenance
The work was commissioned by an Amsterdam merchant family and has been part of the museum's holdings since 1885, following a donation by their heirs.
The painting Fishermen and farmers was created in 1628 by Arent Arentsz as an oil painting on panel. It entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum, where it remains on display.
The work was commissioned by an Amsterdam merchant family and has been part of the museum's holdings since 1885, following a donation by their heirs.
The painting measures 25.5 cm in height and 50.5 cm in width, reflecting the dimensions recorded at the time of its creation.
Fishermen and Farmers by Arent Arentsz has been part of the Rijksmuseum collection since at least the time its Wikidata record was compiled, and it remains held there. The painting, executed in oil on panel in 1628, measures 25.5 cm in height by 50.5 cm in width. No specific inventory or accession number, nor any individual exhibition history, is documented in the available sources.
The available records do not provide a specific accession number for the work within the Rijksmuseum, nor do they document any particular exhibition history, loans, or display venues beyond its current location in the museum's collection.
Overview
Fishermen and Farmers, executed in oil on canvas in 1628, presents a bucolic Dutch landscape populated by working figures. The composition is anchored by a windmill rising behind a modest settlement, while a cloudy sky allows shafts of sunlight to illuminate the scene. The painting is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection, offering a glimpse into everyday life in the early seventeenth century.
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a small community engaged in routine labor: a fisherman casts his line from a shallow bank, another man tends a fire, and nearby figures attend to agricultural tasks. The juxtaposition of fishing and farming underscores the interdependence of land and water in the Dutch economy, while the tranquil setting suggests a harmonious relationship between people and their environment.
Artist & collection
