Artwork
Landscape with a Cottage
Landscape with a Cottage is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Pieter de Molijn. It dates from 1629 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
The work depicts a generic landscape scene, consistent with the genre of landscape painting established by Pieter de Molijn in 1629.
The work depicts a generic landscape scene, consistent with the genre of landscape painting established by Pieter de Molijn in 1629. As indicated by the title Landscape with a Cottage, the composition features a cottage situated within a natural setting. The sources identify the subject matter simply as a landscape painting without providing further details regarding specific iconography, symbolic elements, or deeper allegorical meanings. Consequently, the work represents a straightforward depiction of the countryside rather than a narrative or symbolic program.
The painting is executed in oil on panel and is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Technique & Style
The work titled Landscape with a Cottage is an oil painting executed on a wooden panel in 1629 by Pieter de Molijn. The support is a panel, and the medium is oil paint, applied in a naturalistic Dutch landscape style that emphasizes atmospheric recession and detailed foliage. Measured at 37.5 cm in height and 55.2 cm in width, the composition presents a modest cottage set amid rolling terrain, characteristic of the genre’s focus on rustic scenery. The painting is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection.
History & Provenance
Landscape with a cottage is an oil painting on panel executed by Pieter de Molijn in 1629, as documented in contemporary records and the work’s catalogue entry. The painting measures 37.5 cm by 55.2 cm and was created as a landscape composition. It entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains on view, and its provenance traces to the museum’s acquisition records.
The work was produced during the early phase of Dutch Golden Age landscape painting, reflecting de Molijn’s specialization in the genre.
Landscape with a Cottage, painted by Pieter de Molijn in 1629, is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The work is catalogued as an oil-on-panel landscape measuring 37.5 by 55.2 cm. No exhibition history is recorded in the available sources.
Context
Pieter de Molijn’s 1629 oil on panel, titled Landscape with a Cottage, exemplifies early Dutch landscape painting of the Golden Age. The work, measuring 37.5 × 55.2 cm, depicts a modest rural scene with a cottage set within a cultivated environment, reflecting the period’s interest in naturalistic representation of the countryside. As part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection, the painting underscores the museum’s focus on acquiring foundational works from the Netherlands, positioning de Molijn within the broader trajectory of Dutch landscape art that influenced later masters.
Its classification as a landscape painting and precise dating provide insight into the development of genre specialization in 17th‑century Dutch art.
Overview
Pieter de Molijn, a painter and engraver active during the Dutch Golden Age, completed Landscape with a Cottage in 1629. This oil on canvas work exemplifies his focus on natural scenery, a genre for which he was particularly recognized. The painting presents a tranquil rural view, reflecting the artist's characteristic approach to landscape. It is currently held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Pieter de Molijn (6 April 1595 in London – 23 March 1661 in Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age painter and engraver of English birth and Flemish descent.
