Woodland Scene

1819

Not on view

Sunlight filters through a forest’s canopy, casting shadows along the dirt road in the foreground and creating warm, light-filled gaps that draw the viewer further into the scene. The large scale and masterful treatment of light is unusual for Westenberg, a painter better known for his views of Dutch city streets and interiors. The artist likely originally sketched the scene in black chalk out in nature and then completed the sheet with gray ink and wash in the studio. An inscription on the verso suggests that it depicts the Haagse Bos, one of the oldest remaining forested areas in the Netherlands. Westenberg initialed and dated the drawing on the tree to the left as though the marks had been carved into its trunk.

Artwork Details

Title: Woodland Scene
Artist: Pieter George Westenberg (Dutch, Nijmwegen 1791–1873 Brummen)
Date: 1819
Medium: Pen and dark gray ink, brush and gray wash, over black chalk; framing lines in pen and dark gray ink
Dimensions: sheet: 15 1/4 x 12 15/16 in. (38.7 x 32.8 cm)
Classification: Drawings
Credit Line: Harry G. Sperling Fund, 2006
Object Number: 2006.192
Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

In the same medium

From the same time and place

Side Drum, Wood, skin, cord, Dutch — Side Drum
Dutch
18th century

Perseus and the Origin of Coral, Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée) French, Black chalk, sepia and black ink, sepia and gray wash heightened with white — Perseus and the Origin of Coral
Claude Lorrain (Claude Gellée)
ca. 1671

Daniel Crommelin, Dutch Painter American, Pastel, red and black chalk, and watercolor on laid paper, mounted on cardboard, American — Daniel Crommelin
Dutch Painter

Approach to a Mountain Village with Horsemen on the Road, Fra Bartolomeo (Bartolomeo di Paolo del Fattorino) Italian, Pen and brown ink, traces of black chalk; mounted on an album page — Approach to a Mountain Village with Horsemen on the Road
Fra Bartolomeo (Bartolomeo di Paolo del Fattorino)
ca. 1501

Chandelier, Brass — Chandelier
1870–1930

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.