Artwork
A Drawbridge in a Dutch Town
A Drawbridge in a Dutch Town is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Jacob Maris. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a drawbridge situated within a Dutch urban setting, classified as a cityscape.
The work depicts a drawbridge situated within a Dutch urban setting, classified as a cityscape. The composition features a specific viewpoint and bridge structure that closely parallels an earlier painting by the artist's brother, Matthijs Maris, titled The Nieuwe Haarlemse Sluis on the Singel. That related work, created in 1871, was based on a photograph of the Haarlem sluice on the Singel canal in Amsterdam, suggesting Jacob Maris's piece represents the same or a nearly identical location.
While the painting captures a specific architectural subject, the sources do not elaborate on further symbolic meanings or allegorical representations beyond its function as a topographical record of a Dutch town.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on canvas in 1875, the work measures 30.2 cm in height by 22.7 cm in width.
Jacob Maris employed a fluid handling of oil paint to render the muted light and reflective surfaces of the Dutch waterfront. Atmospheric effects are heightened through delicate, wet-into-wet transitions that suggest mist and humidity, while the architecture and bridge are described with a restrained, almost sketch-like precision.
The composition favors a low vantage point, situating the viewer close to the water’s edge, and the palette of greys, browns, and soft blues underscores the scene’s quiet, everyday character.
History & Provenance
Jacob Maris painted A Drawbridge in a Dutch Town in 1875, an oil on canvas work measuring 30.2 x 22.7 cm, which the National Gallery acquired in 1910 through the bequest of J.C.J. Drucker and now holds in its collection.
The painting entered the National Gallery's possession as part of a bequest, linking it directly to the institution's holdings.
The work is catalogued under accession number NG2710 and is classified as a cityscape within the broader Dutch painting tradition.
The painting is held by the National Gallery, London, where it is accessioned as NG2710. It entered the collection in 1910 as a gift from J.C.J. Drucker. The work has not been recorded in major public exhibitions since its acquisition, remaining in the Gallery’s permanent holdings.
Overview
A Drawbridge in a Dutch Town is a 1875 oil painting by Jacob Maris, a prominent figure in the Hague School, a Dutch art movement contemporary with Impressionism.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jacob Henricus Maris (August 25, 1837 – August 7, 1899) was a Dutch painter, who with his brothers Willem and Matthijs belonged to what has come to be known as the Hague School of painters.
