View of the Town of Haarlem, taken from the Spaarne River, showing the Eendjespoort
c. 1650 - c. 1659
Medium
oil on panel
Dimensions
h 75.3cm × w 109.2cm
Classification
painting
Museum
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
About this artwork
Gezicht op de stad Haarlem over het Spaarne bij de Eendjespoort. Achter de poort een houten ophaalbrug, op de voorgrond zit een man te vissen.
Art Historical Context
Step into the vibrant world of 17th-century Haarlem with Balthasar van der Veen'sView of the Town of Haarlem, taken the Spaarne River showing the Eendjesort* (c. 1650–1659). This oil on panel painting, measuring 75.3 × 109.2 cm, captures a serene riverside vista from the Spaarne a vital waterway for trade and daily life. Dominating the scene is the Eendjesort (Duck's Gate a medieval city gate with a wooden drawbridge behind it, while a lone fisherman sits in the foreground, embodying the quiet rhythm of Dutch urban existence. Painted during the Dutch Golden Age, when Haarlem flourished as a h...