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Lot Essay
Stechow notes, loc. cit., that the village in the background has in the past been identified as Heenvliet.
As noted by Stechow, op. cit., p. 26, Van Ruysdael's marine paintings are very rarely dated; the present lot was probably painted in circa 1650, when the artist's paintings were characterised by rich colour schemes, with deep blue skies and touches of colour, nonetheless retaining the soft, harmonious atmosphere of his monochrome period. At this time, as in the present picture, which can be compared with the River landscape, signed and dated 1650, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Van Ruysdael's compositions were frequently dominated by one or two ships, often with strong verticals. Typical, too, are the waves painted with subtle grey and brown tones, and the soft transitions between the sky and the horizon.
As noted by Stechow, op. cit., p. 26, Van Ruysdael's marine paintings are very rarely dated; the present lot was probably painted in circa 1650, when the artist's paintings were characterised by rich colour schemes, with deep blue skies and touches of colour, nonetheless retaining the soft, harmonious atmosphere of his monochrome period. At this time, as in the present picture, which can be compared with the River landscape, signed and dated 1650, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Van Ruysdael's compositions were frequently dominated by one or two ships, often with strong verticals. Typical, too, are the waves painted with subtle grey and brown tones, and the soft transitions between the sky and the horizon.