A River Landscape with Travellers
17th century
Medium
Pen and brown ink, gray wash
Dimensions
sheet: 6 11/16 x 10 15/16 in. (17 x 27.8 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Anonymous Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.418.19
Tags
Art Historical Context
Herman van Swanevelt *A River Landscape with Trav*, a delicate 17th-century drawing captures the serene beauty of the Dutch Golden's fascination with nature. Created with pen and brown ink heightened by gray wash on a modest sheet measuring 6 11/16 x 10 15/16 inches, it depicts a winding river flanked by lush trees, where figures—likely travelers—and animals traverse the idyllic scene. Swanevelt, a Dutch artist who spent significant time in Italy, drew inspiration from the Roman countryside, blending northern precision with southern light and atmosphere. This work exemplifies the era's innova...
About the Artist
Herman van Swanevelt · 1603–1655
Herman van Swanevelt (1603–1655) was a leading Dutch Baroque painter, draughtsman, and etcher, celebrated for his luminous Italianate landscapes that bridged the classical ideals of Rome with the emerging naturalism of the Dutch Golden Age. Born in Woerden, near Utrecht, to a family of artisans whose lineage traced back to the renowned Lucas van Leyden, Swanevelt's early life and training remain s...