Ferry near Gorinchem

Salomon van Ruysdael

1646 · Oil on canvas · European Paintings

Ruysdael has a reputation for inventing topography, but this canvas depicts a largely faithful view of Gorinchem (Gorcum) from the south. The artist's viewpoint was on a spit of land called Buiten de Waterpoort, along the river de Merwede. The 197-foot tower of the Great Church is seen through the trees, while a windmill, ramparts, and identifiable buildings recede in the right background. Travellers at an inn and in a fishing-cum-ferry boat enliven the scene. Ruysdael lived well to the north in Haarlem, but he was part-owner of a mill in Gorinchem and in 1643 and 1644 painted landscapes incorporating parts of the local castle of Loevestein.

Artist

Salomon van Ruysdael

Date

1646

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

European Paintings

Credit line

Bequest of Maria DeWitt Jesup, from the collection of her husband, Morris K. Jesup, 1914