CUYP, Aelbert
(b. 1620, Dordrecht, d. 1691, Dordrecht)

Dordrecht Harbour by Moonlight

1650-55
Oil on panel, 77 x 107 cm
Wallraf-Richartz-Museum, Cologne

This romantic painting depicts a moonlit river landscape with two sailing boats, Typically Dutch flat-bottom ships used for transport on rivers, canals and lakes. Lit by the moon a windmill stands by the river, acting as a beacon in the flat landscape. The panel is one of a handful of nocturnal scenes executed by Cuyp.