Artwork
The Scheldt in Mariekerke
The Scheldt in Mariekerke is an oil painting by Isidore Meyers. It dates from 1886 and is held in the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp.
About this work
Overview
Isidore Meyers’ oil painting The Scheldt in Mariekerke, executed around 1886, depicts a tranquil riverside scene in the Belgian town of Mariekerke. The canvas is part of the collection of the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where it is displayed as an example of late‑19th‑century landscape work.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a tall windmill whose sails dominate the skyline, set against a modest cluster of historic houses. Boats are moored along the calm riverbank, while a muted, overcast sky lends the scene a quiet, contemplative atmosphere, emphasizing the everyday life of a working river community.
Technique & Style
Meyers employs a pronounced chiaroscuro, juxtaposing the bright illumination on the windmill’s turning blades with the deeper shadows of the river and surrounding architecture. This contrast creates a sense of volume and three‑dimensionality, while the restrained palette of grays and earth tones reinforces the subdued mood of the landscape.
History & Provenance
Created circa 1886, the work entered the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp’s holdings during the early 20th century, though the exact acquisition details remain undocumented. Its presence in the museum’s collection reflects the institution’s broader effort to preserve regional landscape paintings that document Belgium’s industrial and rural heritage.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Waterway near the Baarsjes, Amsterdam
Mills at Dordrecht
Susåen. The Bridge and the Mill at Karrebæksminde
View of The Hague
Gezicht op Den Haag
Windmill on a pond
At Cley-next-the-sea
A Windmill on a Polder Waterway, Known as ‘In the Month of July’
‘Sunny Day’: a windmill on a watercourse
The Trekvliet Shipping Canal near Rijswijk, known as the ‘View near the Geest Bridge’
Souvenir of the Zuiderzee
The Windmill