View on the Amstel from Amsteldijk

View on the Amstel from Amsteldijk (c. 1680) is an oil on canvas painting by the Dutch landscape painter Jacob van Ruisdael. It is an example of Dutch Golden Age painting and is now in the collection of the Amsterdam Museum.

View on the Amstel from Amsteldijk
ArtistJacob van Ruisdael
Year1680
Dimensions53.4 cm × 67.6 cm (21.0 in × 26.6 in)
LocationAmsterdam Museum, Amsterdam
WebsiteAmsterdam Collection online

This painting was purchased in 2007 with support from the Vereniging Rembrandt as an important artifact of Amsterdam history.[1] It was documented by Hofstede de Groot in 1911, who wrote; "17. View of Amsterdam. The Amstel fills the right-hand side of the picture. In the centre is a canal bordered by a meadow. A ray of light illumines the town. In the sky are masses of storm-cloud. Canvas. Sale. Comte de Morny, Paris, May 24, 1852, No. 24 (3100 francs)."[2]

According to Vereniging Rembrandt, the steeples in this painting are from left to right: Leidsepoort, Utrechtsepoort, Westerkerk, Stadhuis (Dam), Oude Kerk, Zuiderkerk, Portugees-Joodse Synagoge, 's Lands zeemagazijn, Weesperpoort, Oosterkerk. All of these buildings had been recently designed and built under the supervision of the city architect Daniël Stalpaert.

This scene is very similar to other paintings Ruisdael made in this period of Amsterdam and these often served as inspiration for later painters of landscape.

References
  1. Information on Vereniging Rembrandt website
  2. Entry 17 for ''View of Amsterdam in Hofstede de Groot, 1911
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