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A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures

Philips Wouwerman (1619–1668)

The National Gallery, London

A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures

Image credit: The National Gallery, London

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Wouwerman’s small painting of the Dutch landscape is full of incident: everywhere are little stories to tell, details to pick out. The landscape in the distance seems empty but nearer to us people enliven the scene. Two horsemen studiously ignore the beggars who approach them. They‘re followed by a shadowy figure holding a sword and beyond, a man with a huge pack, perhaps a pedlar. Is the figure coming down the dune with a rabbit dangling from his stick a poacher or gamekeeper? A grand coach passes while men fish or shoot at birds.

Most intriguing is the yacht on the left sailing serenely on the river. It appears to have a coat of arms on the stern – perhaps it’s making for the imposing house beyond the trees. But the man sailing it doesn’t appear to have noticed the low-arched bridge, and even with the sail and mast lowered the boat’s journey seems ill-fated.

The National Gallery, London

London

Read more on The National Gallery, London
Title

A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures

Date

probably 1660-68

Medium

Oil on oak

Measurements

H 23.5 x W 30.5 cm

Accession number

NG882

Acquisition method

Bought, 1871

Work type

Painting

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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England

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Artist or maker

Philips Wouwerman

1619–1668

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