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Jan van der Heyden, 'The Huis ten Bosch at The Hague', 1665-75

About the work

Overview

This is a view of the south-east front of the Huis ten Bosch (‘House in the Wood’), which was built just outside The Hague as a summer palace for the wife of the head of state of the Netherlands. The building is shown in its original state, a decade or so after it was finished. Today it is used by the Dutch Royal Family as an official residence, though it has been substantially altered and extended.

What is distinctive about this painting is the way that van der Heyden creates a remarkably powerful illusion of depth in a highly compressed space: dark green horizontals are crossed by white pot stands, statues and obelisks, and combined with figures of diminishing size. These straight lines are countered by the strong curves of the topiary hedge in the foreground, which are reflected by the trees to the side of the house.

Key facts

Details

Full title
The Huis ten Bosch at The Hague
Artist dates
1637 - 1712
Date made
1665-75
Medium and support
oil on wood
Dimensions
21.6 × 28.6 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Bequeathed by Sir James Morse Carmichael, Bt, 1902
Inventory number
NG1914
Location
Room 16
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners
Frame
17th-century French Frame

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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