Lot Essay
In 1638 Jan van Goyen was appointed head of the Guild of Saint Luke in The Hague. It was a productive year for him having executed only a handful of paintings in 1637 when he lost money speculating in tulips. In stylistic terms it was a transitional year for the artist. As Beck has stated 'In 1638, a transition takes place from van Goyen's typical village, dune and river landscapes to his more mature scenes of the sea and riverscapes with buildings' (see exhibition catalogue, Jan van Goyen, London, Richard Green Gallery, 17 April-11 May 1996, under no. 16). This shift in emphasis is well illustrated by the present picture. Van Goyen effectively abandons his tonal compositional formula, instead adopting a raised viewpoint and giving pre-eminence to the monumental castle in the right foreground. Beck (op. cit., 1973), suggests that the castle might be Rhenen.