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Castle by a River

1647
Not on view
This scene of fishermen casting their net in front of a moated fortress catered to a taste for picturesque and ancient architecture. Working on the smooth surface of an oak panel allowed Van Goyen to achieve a variety of painterly effects and enliven a limited color palette as he evoked crumbling masonry, rippling water, or cottony clouds. Although the artist studied medieval monuments in preparing such scenes, the castle shown here is imaginary, pieced together from both observation and fantasy.

This painting was seized by the Nazis from Baron Karl Neuman (Charles Neuman de Végvár) in Paris and restituted to him by 1947.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Castle by a River
  • Artist: Jan van Goyen (Dutch, Leiden 1596–1656 The Hague)
  • Date: 1647
  • Medium: Oil on wood
  • Dimensions: 26 x 38 1/4 in. (66 x 97.2 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Edith Neuman de Végvár, in honor of her husband, Charles Neuman de Végvár, 1964
  • Object Number: 64.65.1
  • Curatorial Department: European Paintings

More Artwork

More Artwork
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Winter Landscape, Jan van Goyen Dutch, Black chalk and gray wash
Winter Landscape
Jan van Goyen
1653
River Scene, Jan van Goyen Dutch, Black chalk, gray wash
River Scene
Jan van Goyen
early 17th–mid 17th century
Landscape, Jan van Goyen Dutch, Black chalk, washed with India ink on white paper.
Landscape
Jan van Goyen
early 17th–mid 17th century
A River Estuary, Jan van Goyen Dutch, Pen, black ink and gray wash over black chalk.
A River Estuary
Jan van Goyen
early 17th–mid 17th century
A Castle (on the Rhine?), Jan van Goyen Dutch, Black chalk, gray wash
A Castle (on the Rhine?)
Jan van Goyen
early 17th–mid 17th century

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