Het pontveer
1875 - 1876
Medium
etching
Dimensions
143; 173
About this artwork
height 143 mm x width 173 mm
Art Historical Context
**Het Pontveer (The Ferry)** by Johannes Arnoldus Bol captures a slice of everyday Dutch life from 1875–1876. Rendered as a delicate etching measuring 143 mm high by 173 mm wide, the title evokes the humble pontveer—traditional flat-bottomed ferries that plied the Netherlands' countless waterways, essential for transport in a nation defined by its rivers and canals. Boland, a 19th-century Dutch artist, drew from the rich tradition of depicting rural scenes, reflecting the era's focus on realistic landscapes amid rapid industrialization. Etching, Boland's chosen medium, involves incising lines...
About the Artist
Johannes Arnoldus Boland · 1838–1922
Johannes Arnoldus Boland (1838–1922) was a Dutch etcher and engraver who played a significant role in the 19th-century etching revival in the Netherlands while serving as a restorer at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam for over three decades. Born on December 19, 1838, in Geesteren, a small town in the eastern Netherlands, Boland dedicated his career to both preserving and creating art, embodying the d...