Description

This painting is the first depiction of Amsterdam in which a canal is given prominence. Flanked by picturesque, tree-lined avenues and exquisite mansions, the Herengracht (Gentleman's Canal) was one of Amsterdam's most important waterways. The precision with which Jan Wijnants portrayed the topography of the city enables the viewer to witness the development of this location. To the left of the canal, Wijnants depicted a lumber yard, on which, in 1662, the architect Philip Vingoboons built four houses for the merchant Jacob Cromhout. Furthermore, soon after Wijanants completed this painting the canal was expanded.

Provenance

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio (1964-); (Frederick Mont, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (Probably 1964); (C. Duits, London)1 (1963-1964?); (Sale, Sotheby’s, London, July 3, 1963, no. 17, sold to C. Duits)1 (1963); Violet Sassoon, Heathfield Park, Sussex, consigned to Sotheby’s (Until 1963); (Sale, Galerie Charpentier, Paris, March 31, 1938, no. 45)1 (1938)

Herengracht, Amsterdam

Jan Wijnants

c. 1661

Accession Number

1964.419

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

Framed: 87 x 101 x 9.2 cm (34 1/4 x 39 3/4 x 3 5/8 in.); Unframed: 67.2 x 81.6 cm (26 7/16 x 32 1/8 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Gift of Harry D. Kendrick

Background & Context

Background Story

Jan Wijnants (c. 1632-1684) was a Dutch landscape painter known for his wooded landscapes and dune scenes with the sandy paths and rustic figures that distinguish his work from the more grandiose Italianate landscapes of his contemporaries. Herengracht, Amsterdam from c. 1661 is an unusual subject for Wijnants—a city view of Amsterdam's Herengracht canal rather than the rural landscapes for which he is known. The 1661 date places this early in Wijnants's career, when he was still exploring different landscape subjects before developing the dune landscape manner that would make him one of the most popular Dutch landscape painters of the third quarter of the 17th century.

Cultural Impact

Herengracht, Amsterdam is an unusual subject in Wijnants's oeuvre because it depicts an urban canal rather than the rural dune landscapes for which he is known. The painting is important as a document of Amsterdam's appearance in the 1660s, when the Herengracht was one of the city's most fashionable addresses, and it demonstrates that Wijnants's landscape skill could be applied to the urban environment as successfully as to the rural landscape.

Why It Matters

Herengracht, Amsterdam is Wijnants painting the urban canal rather than the rural landscape: Amsterdam's most fashionable canal rendered with the same landscape skill that characterizes his better-known dune scenes. The c. 1661 painting is an important document of Amsterdam's appearance in the 1660s and a rare urban subject in Wijnants's oeuvre.

Related Artworks

Landscape with Hunters