The Cattle Ferry

Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem completed this oil painting on canvas in 1655. The work bears the signature 'NBerchem' in the lower left area. While an Italian journey by the artist between 1651 and 1755 is suspected, documentary evidence for this trip remains absent.

The painting's early ownership history includes potential appearances in auction catalogs from 1743 and 1747, though these identifications are uncertain. A confirmed sale occurred in April 1766 within the collection of Anthonie Sydervelt at a Amsterdam auction house. On July 19, 1809, King Louis Napoleon ordered the acquisition of the work from an anonymous auction featuring the Bicker and Wijckersloot collections, securing it for the Royal Museum, the predecessor to the Rijksmuseum.

The Cattle Ferry is held by the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, where it is listed under inventory number SK-A-2645 and displayed in hall 2.17.

The work entered the museum’s collection on 19 July 1809, when it was purchased from an anonymous sale of the Bicker and Wijckersloot collections at the Amsterdam auction of Philippus van der Schley on behalf of the Koninklijk Museum, the predecessor of the Rijksmuseum.

Its earlier provenance includes appearances in several 18th‑century sale catalogues, notably an anonymous Amsterdam sale on 25 September 1743 from the estate of Adriaan Swalmius, a pensionary of Schiedam in Rotterdam, and a sale by Antony Sydervelt at the auction of Hendrik de Winter in Amsterdam on 23–24 April 1766.

The painting bears the signature ‘ NBerchem’ in the lower left area near the centre.

Its exhibition history is limited to reproductions; it was reproduced as a print by the Dutch printmaker Johannes Arnoldus Boland in the late 19th century.

The Cattle Ferry is regarded as one of Nicolaes Berchem's most beloved works, and its Italianate character reflects the artist's development into one of the most productive Italianising painters of the Northern Netherlands. The scene is clearly inspired by Italy, and although Berchem is presumed to have spent time in Italy between 1651 and 1655, no documentary evidence of such a journey has been found. The composition's appeal is attested by its afterlife: the painting was copied at least twice during the eighteenth century, and in the late nineteenth century it was reproduced as a print by the Dutch engraver Johannes Arnoldus Boland.

Its provenance also documents sustained interest, with appearances in eighteenth-century auction catalogues and a purchase in 1809 on behalf of King Louis Napoleon for the Royal Museum, the predecessor of the Rijksmuseum.

The Cattle Ferry is regarded as one of Nicolaes Berchem's most beloved works. In the eighteenth century the composition was copied at least twice, indicating sustained interest in the image among collectors and connoisseurs. By the late nineteenth century the painting had been translated into print by the Dutch printmaker Johannes Arnoldus Boland, extending its reach beyond the original canvas.

The work's early provenance, traceable through eighteenth-century auction catalogues, culminated in its 1809 acquisition for the Royal Museum, the predecessor of the Rijksmuseum, on behalf of King Louis Napoleon, securing its place in the Dutch national collection.

Its Italianate conception, reflecting Berchem's development into one of the most productive Italianate painters of the Northern Netherlands, has shaped its standing as a characteristic example of his pastoral river scenes.

Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem painted The Cattle Ferry in 1655. Executed in oil on canvas, the work belongs to the Dutch landscape tradition of the mid‑seventeenth century and is now part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.