The Breach of the Saint Anthony’s Dike near Amsterdam
1651
Medium
oil on canvas
Dimensions
h 85.5cm × w 108.2cm
Classification
painting
Museum
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
About this artwork
During the night of 4-5 March 1651 the Saint Anthony’s Dike was breached near Amsterdam. Jan Asselijn portrayed the fiercely flowing water with a strong sense of drama. The billowing cloak of the man at the left shows that the storm is not yet over, however the squalls are already moving on at the right. The vivid red contrasts sharply with the bright blue of the parting clouds.
About the Artist
Jan Asselijn · 1610–1652
Jan Asselijn (c. 1610–1652), born Jean Asselin in Dieppe, France, to a Huguenot family, emerged as a leading figure in Dutch Golden Age landscape painting. His family relocated to Amsterdam around 1621, where he began his artistic training. He received instruction from Esaias van de Velde, a pioneering realist landscapist, and later studied with Jan Martszen the Younger, Esaias's nephew, producing...