Artwork
Landscape with signal post
Landscape with signal post is an oil painting by the Dutch Golden Age artist Philips Wouwerman. It dates from 1650 and is held in the collection of the Rijksmuseum.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1650 by the Dutch painter Philips Wouwerman, this oil on canvas belongs to the landscape tradition of the Dutch Golden Age. The composition centers on a solitary tree beside a modest signal post, set within a gently undulating countryside under a cloud‑filled sky. The work is part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection.
Subject & Meaning
The scene presents a quiet rural road flanked by a few figures: a rider on horseback in the distance and a pedestrian walking along the path in the foreground. The central tree and the modest post serve as visual anchors, emphasizing the calm, everyday life of the Dutch countryside.
Technique & Style
Wouwerman employs chiaroscuro to model forms, using contrasts of light and shadow to convey depth across the rolling hills and sky. The muted palette and careful handling of atmospheric perspective draw the eye inward, while the brushwork captures the texture of foliage, earth, and distant clouds.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Rijksmuseum’s holdings after being acquired from a private collection in the early twentieth century. Its attribution to Wouwerman, a prolific member of Haarlem’s Guild of St. Luke, has been consistently affirmed by scholarly catalogues of Dutch Golden Age art.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Philips Wouwerman (also Wouwermans) (24 May 1619 (baptized) – 19 May 1668) was a Dutch painter of hunting, landscape and battle scenes. He became prolific during the Dutch Golden Age and joined the Haarlem Guild of St. Luke.
