Castle on a River

Description

Salomon van Ruysdael, the uncle of Jacob van Ruisdael, here represents a free interpretation of the Castle Loevenstein. In addition to its picturesque qualities, the castle had great political and cultural importance as the official state prison and a key fort in the southern Netherlands. Painted just before the Dutch won independence from Spain in 1648, the painting likely expressed nationalist pride for its owner.

Provenance

Paul Oppenheimer, Littleborough, Lancashire;; M. B. Asscher, London, 1946;; J. Singer, London, 1948;; [Leonard Koetser, London, 1962 to 1967];; [E. Speelman, London];; (sale: Sotheby’s, London, March 24, 1971, no. 104);; [Bruno Meissner, Zurich];; [Schaeffer Galleries, New York, 1972], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, 1973.

Castle on a River

Salomon van Ruysdael

1644

Accession Number

1973.2

Medium

oil on wood

Dimensions

Framed: 57 x 79 x 5.5 cm (22 7/16 x 31 1/8 x 2 3/16 in.); Unframed: 39.3 x 60.5 cm (15 1/2 x 23 13/16 in.)

Classification

Painting

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. William H. Marlatt Fund