Estuary at Day's End
c. 1640/1645
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
overall: 36.8 x 58.4 cm (14 1/2 x 23 in.) framed: 50.2 x 72.4 x 6.7 cm (19 3/4 x 28 1/2 x 2 5/8 in.)
Classification
Painting
Department
CNE-B
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons’ Permanent Fund and The Lee and Juliet Folger Fund in memory of Kathrine Dulin Folger
Accession Number
1997.101.1
Art Historical Context
Simon de Vlieger's *Estuary at Day's*, painted around 1640–1645, captures the tranquil beauty of a Dutch waterway during the Golden Age of the Netherlands. As a prominent marine painter from the Haarlem school, de Vlieger specialized in seascapes and coastal scenes, reflecting the era's fascination with the sea—vital to Holland's maritime economy and global trade. This oil on panel, measuring a intimate 36.8 x 58.4 cm, invites viewers into a serene estuary bathed in the soft, fading light of dusk, evoking the calm after a day's labors. De Vlieger's masterful use of oil on panel allowed for ri...