Lodewijck van Ludick, 'A River between Rocky Cliffs', about 1670
About the work
Overview
In the seventeenth century, several Dutch artists went to Rome and brought back paintings and sketches. They, and others like van Ludick, used these works as a basis for imaginary paintings of the Italian landscape with a mountainous background and a softly lit Mediterranean sky. They proved very popular with Dutch collectors and were a strong contrast to landscapes of the flat Dutch countryside.
Here, van Ludick shows a high, craggy cliff with a castle on one side, the round tower of which seems to reach the clouds. On the other side the cliffs are only slightly lower, and the two seem to threaten the tiny travellers wading through the water in the chasm between them. Two elegant riders pace back and forth, perhaps waiting for them, perhaps waiting their turn to cross. Only the warm gold of the sky eases the sense of danger that van Ludick evokes.
Key facts
Details
- Full title
- A River between Rocky Cliffs, with a Waterfall on the left
- Artist
- Lodewijck van Ludick
- Artist dates
- 1629 - before 1697
- Date made
- about 1670
- Medium and support
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 53.5 × 66.4 cm
- Acquisition credit
- Wynn Ellis Bequest, 1876
- Inventory number
- NG1007
- Location
- Not on display
- Collection
- Main Collection
- Previous owners
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
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1864Christie, Manson & Woods, Catalogue of a Choice Cabinet of Ancient and Modern Pictures … the Property of a Well-Known Amateur, London, 6 June 1864
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1877London, National Gallery Archive: National Gallery Catalogue, 1877 - 1915
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1960Maclaren, Neil, National Gallery Catalogues: The Dutch School, 2 vols, London 1960
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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.