Landscape with the Ruins of the Castle of Egmond
Jacob van Ruisdael (Dutch, 1628/29-1682)
1650–55
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Classification
- Painting
- Dimensions
- 98 × 130 cm (38 7/8 × 51 3/8 in.); Framed: 101 × 131.5 × 8.6 cm (39 3/4 × 51 3/4 × 3 3/8 in.)
- Culture
- Holland
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Credit line
- Potter Palmer Collection
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Kids profiles and older: it shows nature, places, still life or a children's book. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
The deteriorating Castle of Egmond was a visible reminder of the Dutch struggle for independence: it was sacrificially destroyed during the revolt against Spain more than 80 years before Jacob van Ruisdael produced this painting. Landscape specialists like Van Ruisdael invoked Dutch patriotism by selecting sites representative of the republic, including ruins, windmills, and city views. Ruisdael distinguished himself by working on an unusually large scale and by imbuing his scenes with drama through low horizon lines and swollen clouds.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
