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Jan Wijnants, 'A Landscape with a High Dune and Peasants on a Road', probably about 1665

About the work

This painting is probably a collaboration between Jan Wijnants, who was a specialist landscape painter, and Jan Lingelbach, who added the figures and the animals once the landscape was finished. It was not unusual for painters to work in this way in seventeenth-century Holland.

What we see is probably not a specific location, but it is characteristic of the undulating fields and dunes between Wijnants' home town of Haarlem and the sea. He has probably adapted the view to help give an impression of distance, perhaps placing the stand of trees and the church, as well as the patches of sunlight and the billowing clouds, to enhance the sense of depth.

Lingelbach’s figures are also positioned for effect, and he uses patches of red and brown on their clothing to help them stand out. They lead our eye further into the landscape, while the silhouettes of two men and a dog on the top of the dune add a moment of drama against the turbulent sky.

Key facts

Full title
A Landscape with a High Dune and Peasants on a Road
Artist
Jan Wijnants
Artist dates
active 1643; died 1684
Date made
probably about 1665
Medium and support
oil on canvas
Dimensions
40.9 × 53.7 cm
Inscription summary
Signed
Acquisition credit
Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
Inventory number
NG971
Location
Not on display
Collection
Main Collection
Previous owners

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.

More works by Jan Wijnants

A Landscape with a Dead Tree
A Landscape with a Dead Tree
Jan Wijnants
Jan Wijnants was from Haarlem, which lies in the narrow corridor of land between Amsterdam and the sea. He specialised in depicting the landscapes around the town, which were formed largely of sand blown inland from the North Sea beaches and into a series of sometimes spectacularly high dunes. So...
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A Landscape with a Ruined Archway
A Landscape with a Ruined Archway
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Jan Wijnants specialised in painting landscapes which evoke the countryside around Haarlem, where he lived and worked. It was an area characterised by ancient sand dunes overgrown by scrubby woodland and open pastures interlaced with winding cart tracks. It was also scattered with picturesque rui...
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A Landscape with Two Dead Trees
A Landscape with Two Dead Trees
Jan Wijnants
This is a landscape full of sunshine, energy and life. The strong sweeping curve of the track dominates the middle of the picture. Two greyhounds bound along while a horseman and his companion chat easily as they go, and in the distance a pedlar with his pack ambles along behind them. The woodlan...
Not on display
A Track by a Dune, with Peasants and a Horseman
A Track by a Dune, with Peasants and a Horseman
Jan Wijnants
This undulating countryside of ancient sand dunes, found around Haarlem, forms the background to the vast majority of paintings by local artist Jan Wijnants. But while he captured the spirit and atmosphere of these sand hills, he also – like most painters of the time – exaggerated for effect. The...
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Peasants driving Cattle and Sheep
Peasants driving Cattle and Sheep
Jan Wijnants
Jan Wijnants specialised in pictures that depicted figures moving through this particular type of rural landscape. As far was we can tell, they weren’t usually a real view, but were composed to give a pleasing effect and an impression of the countryside around the town of Haarlem, where Wijnants...
Not on display