Landscape with Alpheus and Arethusa
1601 to 1650
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1980.76.1
Art Historical Context
In the serene *Landscape with Alpheus and Arethusa Dutch artist Anthonie Waterlooc. 1609–1690) masterfully blends classical mythology with the naturalistic landscapes of the Dutch Golden Age. Created as an etching between 160 and 1650, this print draws from Ovid's *Metamorphoses*, depicting the river god Alpheus in pursuit of the nymph Arethusa, who flees through a lush, atmospheric woodland. Waterloo, a specialist in prints, captures the drama of the myth amid towering trees and winding paths, evoking both ancient lore and the era's fascination with nature's sublime beauty. Etching, Waterloo...
About the Artist
Anthonie Waterloo · 1609–1690
Anthonie Waterloo (1609–1690) was a prominent Dutch Golden Age landscape artist, born on May 6 in Lille, then part of the Spanish Netherlands. Little is known of his early life beyond his mother, Magdalena Vaillant, who joined Amsterdam's Walloon Church in 1621, with Waterloo following in 1630; no records exist of formal training, and he was likely self-taught. Registered as a painter in Amsterdam...