Ruined Tower Right of Center
1621
Medium
etching
Dimensions
plate: 8.8 x 12.7 cm (3 7/16 x 5 in.) sheet: 9.7 x 13.7 cm (3 13/16 x 5 3/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.1.28
Art Historical Context
Willem Buytewech's *Ruined Tower Right of* (1621) is a delicate etching that the artist's keen eye for picturesque landscapes during the early Dutch Golden Age. Buytech (1591–1624), a pioneering Haarlem-based draftsman and engraver, was for his elegant genre scenes and innovative prints blending everyday life with romanticized ruins. This small-scale work, measuring just 8.8 x 12.7 cm on the plate, highlights a crumbling tower dominating the composition's right side, evoking themes of transience amid pastoral serenity. Etching, Buytewech's favored medium, allowed for fluid, expressive lines e...