Woman Crossing a Stream
1662
Medium
etching
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund
Accession Number
1973.54.6
Art Historical Context
Step into the serene world of 17th-century Dutch countryside with Karel Dujardin's *Woman Crossing a Stream* (1662), a etching now housed in the National Gallery Art's Department of Prints (CG-E). Acquired through the Ailsa Mellon Fund, this print captures Dujardin's mastery during the Dutch Golden Age, a period when artists celebrated everyday rural life amid economic prosperity and artistic innovation. Dujardin, a versatile painter and printmaker influenced by his travels in Italy, specialized in intimate pastoral scenes blending Dutch realism with Italianate landscapes. Etching, his chosen...
About the Artist
Karel Dujardin · 1626–1678
Karel Dujardin, born in Amsterdam on September 27, 1626, was the son of the little-known painter Guilliam du Gardin. His early training came under the guidance of Nicolaes Berchem, a master whose influence is evident in Dujardin's animal and landscape depictions, while he was also inspired by the works of Paulus Potter. As a young artist, Dujardin traveled to Italy, where he immersed himself in th...