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Jacob van Ruisdael, 'Ruins in a Dune Landscape', probably 1650-5

About the work

Overview

The mood in this painting is sombre, even sinister. It’s twilight, with the sky cloudy but – unusual in Jacob van Ruisdael’s landscapes – unmoving. The white walls of the ruins on the steep bank on the right almost give the impression that light is shining from them. The distant sand dunes look lonely and deserted, with the sea little more than a grey shadow.

It’s only after a moment’s careful looking that you can make out the two shadowy figures by the pool at the foot of the bank. Behind them, a pale sheep moves away across the grass; closer to us, the reeds seem to rustle as a ripple runs across the water.

Van Ruisdael, perhaps the greatest Dutch landscape painter of the seventeenth century, here creates a quieter, more atmospheric mood than in his often turbulent, dramatic scenes.

Key facts

Details

Full title
Ruins in a Dune Landscape
Artist dates
1628/9? - 1682
Date made
probably 1650-5
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
43.2 × 58.5 cm
Acquisition credit
Bought, 1865
Inventory number
NG746
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection

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.

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