A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures
- Artist: Philips Wouwerman
- Date: probably 1660-68
- Medium: oil on wood
- Museum: The National Gallery
- Collection record: The National Gallery website
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About this artwork
This is "A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures" by Philips Wouwerman. Painted in the Dutch tradition, it's a quintessential example of a 17th-century landscape that's full of incident and storytelling. At first glance, the landscape in the distance seems empty, but as your eye travels closer to us, you start to notice all sorts of characters enlivening the scene.
You've got two horsemen riding along, studiously ignoring the beggars who approach them. There's a shadowy figure following behind with a sword, and further down the dune, a man is making his way towards us, holding what looks like a rabbit on a stick - but is he a poacher or a gamekeeper? And then there's the grand coach passing by, while men fish in the river or shoot at birds hiding in the trees.
But perhaps the most intriguing element of this painting is the yacht sailing serenely along the river. It appears to have a coat of arms on its stern, and it looks like it might be making for the imposing house beyond the trees - but the sailor doesn't seem to have noticed the low-arched bridge, which makes his journey look rather ill-fated.
This painting was likely created around 1660-68, and it's a great example of Dutch landscape art from this period. It's painted in oil on wood, which gives it a wonderful sense of texture and depth.
See it in person
A Dune Landscape with a River and Many Figures hangs in The National Gallery on Trafalgar Square, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
