Artwork
The explosion of the powder magazine in Delft, 12 October 1654
The explosion of the powder magazine in Delft, 12 October 1654 is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Egbert van der Poel. It dates from 1657 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts the catastrophic explosion of the powder magazine in Delft, a specific historical event that occurred on 12 October 1654.
The work depicts the catastrophic explosion of the powder magazine in Delft, a specific historical event that occurred on 12 October 1654. As a landscape and cityscape, the painting captures the immediate aftermath of the disaster within the urban environment of Delft, specifically referencing the Vliet area. The subject matter serves as a direct visual record of the destruction caused by the blast, documenting the event with factual precision rather than allegorical embellishment.
By focusing on this singular tragedy, the artwork functions as a historical document of the city's resilience and the sudden violence that altered its physical landscape.
Technique & Style
This landscape painting by Egbert van der Poel was executed in 1657, depicting the powder magazine explosion in Delft that occurred in 1654. The work is painted in oil on a panel support and measures 37 cm in height and 62 cm in width. The artist employed the oil medium to render the dramatic event within a horizontal format, a common support for Dutch paintings of this period.
History & Provenance
The explosion of the powder magazine in Delft was painted by Egbert van der Poel in 1657, three years after the catastrophic event on 12 October 1654. Executed in oil on panel, the work measures 37 cm by 62 cm and belongs to the landscape genre, capturing the blast and its aftermath. The painting is held in the collections of the Rijksmuseum, the national art museum of the Netherlands.
No documentary evidence of a specific commission survives, and the precise circumstances of its creation remain undocumented beyond the dated inception recorded in 1657.
Overview
Egbert van der Poel's oil painting, The explosion of the powder magazine in Delft, 12 October 1654, created in 1657, captures the aftermath of a catastrophic event that struck the Dutch city. This work serves as a visual record of the devastating powder magazine explosion, depicting the widespread destruction and human impact on the urban landscape. It is currently housed in the Rijksmuseum.
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Artist & collection
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