Jacob Salomonsz. van Ruysdael, 'A Waterfall by a Cottage in a Hilly Landscape', about 1650-81
| Full title | A Waterfall by a Cottage in a Hilly Landscape |
|---|---|
| Artist | Jacob Salomonsz. van Ruysdael |
| Artist dates | 1629/30 - 1681 |
| Date made | about 1650-81 |
| Medium and support | oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 103.5 × 86.9 cm |
| Inscription summary | Signed |
| Acquisition credit | Bought, 1859 |
| Inventory number | NG628 |
| Location | Not on display |
| Collection | Main Collection |
Under a stormy sky, cattle are herded across a frail-looking bridge, the fast water threatening to destroy the trestles that hold it up. The river swings round to the left and tumbles away in a mist of foam down the hill between jagged rocks. Norwegian pine trees pierce the clouds and the branches of a birch toss in the wind. Between them a view of purple hills stretches away in the distance.
The painting was once thought to have been by Jacob van Ruisdael, the leading Dutch landscape artist of the seventeenth century; it has since been attributed to his cousin, Jacob Salomonsz. Ruysdael, who imitated his style. Perhaps the slightly awkward placing of the mountain high above the trees on the right is a clue that the picture isn't likely to be by van Ruisdael, but the movement of the torrent and the atmospheric lighting still make a dramatic scene.
Under a stormy sky, cattle are herded across a frail-looking bridge, the fast water threatening to destroy the trestles that hold it up. The river swings round to the left and tumbles away in a mist of foam down the hill between jagged rocks. Norwegian pine trees pierce the clouds and the branches of a birch toss in the wind. Between them a view of purple hills stretches away in the distance.
The painting was once thought to be by Jacob van Ruisdael, the leading Dutch landscape artist of the seventeenth century, and the pendant of his A Waterfall in a Rocky Landscape. It has since been attributed to his cousin, Jacob Salomonsz. van Ruysdael, who imitated his style. Perhaps the slightly awkward placing of the mountain high above the trees on the right is a clue that the picture isn't likely to be by van Ruisdael, but the movement of the torrent and the atmospheric lighting still make a dramatic scene.
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