Roelant Roghman, 'A Mountainous Landscape', about 1665
About the work
Overview
Although Roelant Roghman made many topographical drawings, A Mountainous Landscape is almost certainly an imaginary view, conjured from sketches and drawings by himself or other artists who had travelled abroad. The rounded hills, craggy distant mountain and the strange little trees on the edge of the cliff don't belong in a typical landscape painting of the flat Dutch countryside. It’s an image that appeals to the imagination.
The figures have their backs to us – a man fishing in the river, a shepherd and his little boy wandering up the meandering path on the left, and a horseman and his companion crossing the flimsy bridge over the yawning chasm on the right. Seen almost in silhouette to add to the air of mystery, they are dwarfed by the landscape, like actors on an enormous stage under a turbulent sky.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A Mountainous Landscape
- Artist
- Roelant Roghman
- Artist dates
- 1627 - 1692
- Date made
- about 1665
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 63.5 × 74.3 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Bought, 1891
- Inventory number
- NG1340
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
Provenance
Additional information
Text extracted from the ‘Provenance’ section of the catalogue entry in Neil MacLaren, revised and expanded by Christopher Brown, ‘National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School: 1600–1900’, London 1991; for further information, see the full catalogue entry.
Bibliography
-
1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
-
1991Maclaren, Neil, revised by Christopher Brown, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 1600-1900, 2nd edn (revised and expanded), 2 vols, London 1991
-
2001
C. Baker and T. Henry, The National Gallery: Complete Illustrated Catalogue, London 2001
About this record
If you know more about this painting or have spotted an error, please contact us. Please note that exhibition histories are listed from 2009 onwards. Bibliographies may not be complete; more comprehensive information is available in the National Gallery Library.