Artwork
River Scenery
River Scenery is an unspecified painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Salomon van Ruysdael. It dates from 1643 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Painted in 1643, this work by Salomon van Ruysdael presents a river landscape populated by specific elements of daily life and nature.
Painted in 1643, this work by Salomon van Ruysdael presents a river landscape populated by specific elements of daily life and nature. The composition depicts a river scene featuring a sailboat navigating the waterway. On the banks, the artist includes a group of humans alongside cattle, grounding the scenery in rural activity.
These figures and animals serve as the primary iconographic components, illustrating a snapshot of 17th-century riverside existence rather than conveying an explicit allegorical message. The combination of the vessel, livestock, and people creates a cohesive representation of a working river environment.
Technique & Style
River Scenery is an oil painting on canvas created by Salomon van Ruysdael in 1643. The work measures 555.0 cm in width and 380.0 cm in height, reflecting a typical Dutch Golden Age composition with naturalistic riverine landscapes featuring sailboats, cattle, and human figures. It is housed in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains on public view.
History & Provenance
River Scenery is a painting created by the Dutch artist Salomon van Ruysdael in 1643. The work depicts a river landscape featuring a sailboat, cattle, and a group of humans. Today, the painting is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it remains located.
Salomon van Ruysdael's River Scenery, created in 1643, is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst. The painting is located within the museum's facilities, which serves as its permanent home. The work depicts a river scene featuring sailboats, cattle, and groups of humans.
No specific inventory or accession number is provided in the available documentation, nor is there any recorded exhibition history for this piece in the current sources.
Overview
Salomon van Ruysdael’s 1643 canvas, titled River Scenery, presents a tranquil riverside tableau typical of Dutch Golden Age landscape painting. A modest group of figures occupies a small boat on placid water, while distant sailboats drift beyond a bank where cattle graze. The composition balances human activity with pastoral calm, inviting the viewer into a quiet moment of everyday life.
Artist & collection
Artist
Salomon van Ruysdael (c. 1602, Naarden – buried 3 November 1670, Haarlem) was a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter. He was the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael.
