River Landscape with Villages and Travelers [verso]

c. 1675/1685

Follower of Peeter Gysels

Associated Names
Peeter Gysels

Related Artist, Flemish, 1621 - 1690

The painting shows a scene from an elevated point of view. At the bottom of the painting, a group of people walk or ride along a wide dirt path. Several of the people sit in a covered horse-drawn wagon. Two women walk next to the wagon, while a man stops to tie his shoe. To the left of the wagon, two people speak together, one of whom wears a large pack on their back. Many of the people are dressed in bright shades of blue, red, and pink. On the left side of the image, along the dirt path, are two large buildings with orange roofs. Behind the path is a body of water, on top of which float two boats with more people in them. On the other side of the water, trees and buildings line a hill that slopes upwards, continuing far off into the distance. At the bottom of the image, the colors are mostly earthy browns and greens, while the distant landscape is painted in light greens and blues, under a blue sky filled with soft, fluffy clouds.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.

Artwork overview

Associated Artworks

Abraham Entertaining the Angels [recto]

Rembrandt van Rijn

1656


Artwork history & notes

Provenance

Antique shop, Yorkshire; sold 1946 to private collection, England;[1] (sale, Christie, Manson & Woods, London, 26-27 June 1997, no. 94); purchased by NGA.
[1] The copper plate was presumed to have been lost after Rembrandt's death in 1669, but was apparently acquired by a 17th century Antwerp artist, perhaps Peeter Gysels or another artist in his circle, who painted the river landscape scene on the back of the plate.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1997

  • Building a Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 1997-1998, no. 7.

1998

  • Komenecky, Michael, Isabel Horovitz, and Nicholas Eastaugh. "Antwerp Artists and the Practice of Painting on Copper." Painting Techniques, History, Materials and Studio Practice. Contributions to the Dublin Congress (7-11 Sept. 1998): 137-138.

  • Copper as Canvas: Two Centuries of Masterpiece Paintings on Copper, 1525-1775, Phoenix Art Museum; Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City; Royal Cabinet of Paintings Mauritshuis, The Hague, 1998-1999, no. 73, repro.

2000

  • Art for the Nation: Collecting for a New Century, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., 2000-2001, unnumbered catalogue.

Wikidata ID

Q63571266

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