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Notes
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On 12 October 1654 – the date inscribed on the painting – one of the gunpowder stores in the city of Delft accidentally detonated, flattening a large part of the city. A local artist, Egbert van der Poel, was so fascinated by the event that he painted this scene at least 20 times. Judging from contemporary maps and buildings which still exist, the pictures appear to be a largely accurate view of the devastation. All that was left on the site of the store was a deep pool of water (probably the one we can see on the right side of this picture). The buildings on the horizon are churches, the town hall and the hospital. While van der Poel seems to have painted what he saw, the importance and visual prominence of these buildings lends a symbolic strength to the scene.
Title
A View of Delft after the Explosion of 1654
Date
1654
Medium
Oil on oak
Measurements
H 36.2 x W 49.5 cm
Accession number
NG1061
Acquisition method
John Henderson Bequest, 1879
Work type
Painting
The National Gallery, London
Trafalgar Square, London, Greater London WC2N 5DN England
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