Where can I see Mountainous landscape with waterfall?

Mountainous landscape with waterfall is held by Rijksmuseum.

What movement is Mountainous landscape with waterfall?

Mountainous landscape with waterfall is associated with Dutch Golden Age.

Can I buy a print of Mountainous landscape with waterfall?

Museum-quality prints of Mountainous landscape with waterfall are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Mountainous landscape with waterfall

Jacob van Ruisdael , 1660

Mountainous landscape with waterfall is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Jacob van Ruisdael. It dates from 1660 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

About this work

Subject & Meaning

The inclusion of the castle suggests a romanticized or idealized view of the wilderness, where man-made structures coexist with untamed elements.

Jacob van Ruisdael's Mountainous landscape with waterfall, executed in 1660, depicts a dramatic natural scene featuring a cascading waterfall, rugged mountains, and prominent trees. The composition also includes a castle, integrating human architecture within the wild terrain. As a landscape painting, the work focuses on the grandeur and power of nature, presenting a dynamic interplay between the flowing water and the imposing geological forms.

The inclusion of the castle suggests a romanticized or idealized view of the wilderness, where man-made structures coexist with untamed elements.

Technique & Style

The work titled Mountainous landscape with waterfall is an oil painting executed on canvas in 1660. It measures 111 cm in height and 99 cm in width, as recorded in the Rijksmuseum catalogue. The painting, created by Jacob van Ruisdael, employs oil paint to render a detailed Dutch landscape that includes a waterfall, a castle, a mountain and a tree.

As a genre piece it belongs to the landscape category and reflects the naturalistic treatment typical of 17th‑century Dutch art, with careful attention to atmospheric depth and the depiction of natural forms.

History & Provenance

Mountainous landscape with waterfall was painted by Jacob van Ruisdael in 1660, executed in oil on canvas. The work entered the collection of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is currently held and displayed as part of the museum’s holdings of Dutch landscape painting. No specific commission or earlier ownership details are recorded in the available sources.

The painting is held in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, where it is recorded with inventory number SK-C-1140.

It has been exhibited at the Rijksmuseum as part of its permanent display of seventeenth-century Dutch landscapes; it was included in the museum’s 2017 reinstallation of the Gallery of Honour, where it remains on view.

Overview

Jacob van Ruisdael's 1660 oil painting, "Mountainous landscape with waterfall," captures a dramatic natural scene. This work, executed in oil, features a prominent waterfall, rugged mountains, and a distant castle, showcasing the artist's characteristic approach to landscape painting. It is currently housed at the Rijksmuseum.

Mountain Landscape with Waterfall, Jacob van Ruisdael

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Artist & collection

Artist

Jacob van Ruisdael

Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael was a Dutch painter, draughtsman, and etcher. He is generally considered the pre-eminent landscape painter of the Dutch Golden Age, a period of great wealth and cultural achievement when…