The River Waal at Nijmegen with the Valkhof and a Ferry crossing in the Foreground

Here, as with so many of his paintings, de Hulst must have been inspired by Jan van Goyen, who painted his first view of Nijmegen as early as 1633 (see H.-U. Beck, Jan van Goyen, 1973, II, pp. 168-79, nos. 342-70). At least eight versions of this view are known by de Hulst. Of these three are fully signed (Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; H.-U. Beck, Kunstler um Jan van Goyen, 1991, p. 193, no. 528; the Boijmans Van Beuningen Museum; ibid., p. 195, no. 538; and the painting offered at Christie's, Amsterdam, Nov. 13, 1995, lot 153), while three bear van Goyen's signature and the dates 1646, 1648, and 1654. A further version attributed to Wouter Knyff was offered at Hôtel Drouot, Dec. 12, 1995, lot 22.

The Valkhof was built by Charlemagne in the late eighth century and was extensively enlarged circa 1155. It was largely destroyed in 1796.