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(Dordrecht 1620-1691 Dordrecht)

Aelbert Cuyp never went to Italy, but from around 1650 onwards we usually find in his work the warm, southern light so typical of paintings by Utrecht Italianates like Jan Both, Cornelis van Poelenburch (cf. nos. 37 and 58) and Herman van Swanevelt. This poetic, tranquil river landscape is likewise bathed in the warm, hazy light of a setting sun. It has been suggested that this is the Rhine Valley, but although we know of several drawings of the Rhine and the surrounding area by Cuyp, none of them can be linked to this painting, which is probably an imaginary landscape.