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The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede
Jacob van Ruisdael · Baroque & Dutch Golden Age
- Artist
- Jacob Isaackszoon van Ruisdael (c. 1629–1682)
- Date
- c. 1668–1670
- Dimensions
- 83 x 101 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Windmill at Wijk bij Duurstede shows a tall, dark windmill rising above the river Lek at a small town in the Netherlands, silhouetted against a dramatic sky of towering clouds.
A closer look
Ruisdael placed the viewpoint very low, at the level of the water, so that the windmill seems monumental, almost heroic, dominating the landscape. Its sails catch the light against the clouds, while the castle and church tower of the town appear on the left. Three women walk along the path beside the mill, and a sailing boat glides on the calm river. The sky, which takes up most of the canvas, is full of movement and light. The painting became a symbol of the Dutch landscape and its struggle with wind and water.
History of the painting
The painting was part of the collection of the Amsterdam banker Adriaan van der Hoop, who bequeathed it to the city of Amsterdam in 1854, together with Rembrandt’s Jewish Bride. The bequest was later placed in the Rijksmuseum, where the windmill has become one of the best-known images of the Dutch landscape.
More by Jacob van Ruisdael
In this gallery
Famous works elsewhere
- The Ray of Light 1665
- Castle Bentheim 1653