Arcadisch landschap met reizigers

About this artwork

Commissioned by Jacob van Ghesel jr. (1732-1792), for the house Herengracht 524, Amsterdam, c. 1771; his nephew, Jacob van Ghesel Jansz. (1764-1803), with the house Herengracht 524, Amsterdam; purchased from whom, with the house Herengracht 524, Amsterdam, by Abraham Bredius (1731-1804), 1798; his son, Abraham Bredius (1781-1863), with the house Herengracht 524, Amsterdam; his daughter, Aleida Elisabeth Bredius (1805-86) and his son, Johannes Jacobus Bredius (1808-94), with the house Herengracht...

Art Historical Context

**Arcadisch landschap met reizigersArcadian Landscape with Travelers Jurriaan Andriessen 1771 Oil on canvas, × 263 cm Step into an idyllic vision of pastoral harmony with Jurriaan Andriessen *Arcadisch landschap met reizigers*, grand oil-on-canvas painting from 1771. This monumental work, measuring over three meters tall, captures travelers winding through a lush, classical landscape—evoking the mythical Arcadian ideal of serene countryside bliss inspired by ancient poetry. Andriessen, a prominent Dutch artist of the late 18th century, specialized in romantic landscapes that blended northern realism with Italianate fantasy, offering viewers an escape from urban life. Commissioned around 1771 by wealthy Amsterdam merchant Jacob van Ghesel jr. for his lavish home at Herengracht 524—one of the city's prestigious Golden Bend canal houses—the painting became a cherished family heirloom. It remained there for nearly two centuries, passing through the Van Ghesel and Bredius families before being bequeathed to the Rijksmuseum in 1949 by Hélène Louise Pauline le Fèvre de Montigny, along with other treasures from the house. Its enduring presence in this elite setting underscores the cultural vogue for Arcadian themes among Amsterdam's patrician class, who adorned their opulent interiors with such large-scale works to symbolize refinement and nostalgia. Today, this canvas invites us to wander its timeless paths, connecting 18th-century elegance with our own appreciation for nature's poetry.

About the Artist

Jurriaan Andriessen · 1742–1819

A painter and draftsman known mostly for his painted wallpapers. He eventually owned his own successful factory; his designs followed the prevailing 18th-century taste for arcadian and native Dutch landscapes with small figures, and especially for decorative architecture. He was active in the Amsterdam Tekenacademie, first as a student, then as a teacher, and, by 1784, as co-director with Cornelis...