Square Tower Used as Inn near a River
Medium
Engraving and etching
Dimensions
Plate: 6 1/8 × 11 1/4 in. (15.5 × 28.5 cm) Sheet: 6 9/16 × 11 11/16 in. (16.7 × 29.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Katrin Bellinger Kunsthandel, 2014
Accession Number
2014.733.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the bustling world of the Dutch Golden Age, *Square Tower Used as Inn near River* (ca. 1641) captures a serene yet lively riverside scene by Jan van de Velde II, a master of landscape prints, in collaboration with publisher and engraver Claes Jans. Visscher. This engraving and etching depicts a sturdy square tower repurposed as inn, overlooking a winding river dotted with boats. Men and women gather outside, evoking the everyday social life of 17th-century Holland, where such inns served as vital stops for travelers, traders, and locals alike. The print's medium—combining precise engraving...
About the Artist
Jan van de Velde II|Claes Jansz. Visscher · 1593–1641
Jan van de Velde II (1593–1641) was one of the most accomplished Dutch printmakers and draughtsmen of the early seventeenth century, born in Haarlem into a dynasty of celebrated calligraphers and artists. His father, Jan van de Velde I, was a renowned writing master, and his cousin Willem van de Velde the Elder would later become a distinguished marine painter. Jan II studied engraving under Jacob...