RUYSDAEL, Salomon van
(b. ca. 1602, Naarden, d. 1670, Haarlem)

View of the Valkhof at Nijmegen

1647
Oil on oak panel, 65 x 89 cm
Private collection

This tranquil scene represents a view of the Valkhof at Nijmegen seen from the west, with a ferry crossing the river Waal. The site of the medieval Valkhof, the fortress built on Roman foundations that dominates the city, was and indeed still is dramatic, towering over a bend in the river. Both Ruysdael and Van Goyen painted it on several occasions.