# The Mill **Rembrandt van Rijn** (Dutch, 1606–1669) 1645/1648 oil on canvas overall: 87.6 x 105.6 cm (34 1/2 x 41 9/16 in.) framed: 125.1 × 142.24 cm (49 1/4 × 56 in.) Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1942.9.62. [The museum's record](https://www.nga.gov/collection/art-object-page.1201.html). ## About this work A windmill stands dark on a bastion above the water, its sails catching the light against a stormy sky, while a woman washes clothes at the bank, a mother and child walk down the path and a man in a red jacket rows past. In the nineteenth century The Mill was among the most admired paintings in Britain, and its sale to an American collector in 1911 caused a public outcry. Its attribution to Rembrandt has been debated, and cleaning in the 1970s revealed a far brighter sky than had long been seen, restoring the drama of light breaking through cloud. _Written by Ochre Editions._ Rembrandt van Rijn painted this in 1645/1648, aged about 39. It is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. ### What you’re looking at A windmill stands on a promontory cutting into a waterway under a partially stormy sky in this square landcape painting. The promontory and mill are painted in muted tones of brown and rust orange, while steel-gray and white clouds encircle a topaz-blue sky above. The promontory juts into the scene from our left, and the front of the windmill is angled to our right so its golden-tan sails catch the light. Silvery water winds around the base of the promontory and extends to a dark green, shadowy bank on the far side. A boat in the lower right corner of the composition is rowed by a man wearing a red jacket and cap. A path runs to the water’s edge from the left edge of the painting, in front of the promontory’s retaining wall, which is shored up with stones or panels. A person in dark clothing close to the windmill seems to rest their arms on the retaining wall, their back to us. Closer to us, a woman holds a child’s hand as they walk down the path to the bank. A bearded man with tattered brown clothes and bare feet stands leaning against the wall near a woman wearing burnt-orange garment. She sits or kneels at the water’s edge in front of a basket of clothes and holds up a brown cloth. The olive-green forms of the trees on the far bank are reflected in the water, and closer inspection reveals two cows near the water there. Charcoal-gray clouds pile up along the left of the painting and span the top edge. There is a brilliant blue sky beyond and a screen of white clouds near the horizon, which comes about a third of the way up the canvas. _Description from the National Gallery of Art._ ### How it was made - **Oil paint.** Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled. ### [Rembrandt van Rijn](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/rembrandt-van-rijn) Dutch, 1606–1669; born in Leiden; died in Amsterdam Rembrandt trained in Leiden and Amsterdam, settled in Amsterdam in the early 1630s and became the city’s most sought-after portraitist. His later work grows rougher and more searching, with thick paint, deep shadow and faces that seem lost in thought, as in Aristotle with a Bust of Homer, painted for a Sicilian collector. He was also the leading etcher of his age, reworking plates through many states and making the medium as expressive as painting. _Written by Ochre Editions._ ## Facts - Type: Painting - The artist was about 39 - Real size: about 34 × 42 in (88 × 106 cm). The 24 × 36 in print is close to life size. - Century: 17th century - Subjects: Agriculture, Netherlands, Mill - Colour: black - Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose. ## Get it - Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/1337.jpg?dl=1 - Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/1337/1920.jpg - Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86; 24 × 36 in $108 - Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208; 24 × 36 in $258 - Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118; 20 × 30 in $148 - Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5; 24 × 36 in $5 Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/the-mill-nga-1201).