Artwork
The city wall of Haarlem in the winter
The city wall of Haarlem in the winter is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem. It dates from 1647 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem painted *The city wall of Haarlem in the winter* in 1647 using oil on canvas. The work records a wintry view of Haarlem’s defensive wall, a horse and a small group of figures moving along a muddy track, with a distant castle and waterborne vessels visible on the horizon.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a weather‑worn stone wall topped by a modest tower and a wooden balcony. A white horse, a cart laden with bags, and several pedestrians occupy the foreground, suggesting everyday activity amid a cold, still landscape. The distant castle with its spire anchors the scene in the local geography of Haarlem.
Technique & Style
Berchem employs a restrained chiaroscuro, letting the pale, snow‑dusted ground contrast sharply with a dark, overcast sky. The handling of light creates a sense of chill and stillness, while the muted palette and softened outlines reflect the Dutch Italianate tradition that blended northern observation with the atmospheric qualities of Italian landscape painting.
History & Provenance
A member of the second generation of Dutch Italianate painters, Berchem contributed to the popularity of landscape subjects in the mid‑seventeenth century. The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s collection, where it remains on display as part of the museum’s representation of Dutch Golden Age art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Nicolaes Pieterszoon Berchem (1 October 1620 – 18 February 1683) was a highly esteemed and prolific Dutch Golden Age painter of pastoral landscapes, populated with mythological or biblical figures, but also of a number of allegories and…
