Floor plan

Time and place17th-century Netherlands

17th-century Netherlands

Peacocks, by Melchior d' Hondecoeter, 1683
A work made of opaque and translucent watercolors, with pen and brown ink, over graphite, on cream laid paper.
Water laps at a curving shoreline in front of a steep sandy dune carpeted in grass, shrubs, and trees in this horizontal landscape painting. The dune takes up the lower right quadrant of the composition. A few broken tree trunks are overgrown with vines and plants across the top and down the sloping side of the dune facing us. A red brick wall cuts through the vegetation up the side of the dune and disappears into the shrubbery at the top. The twisting branches and canopies of three large trees reach into the upper right quadrant of the composition. The vegetation stops abruptly along the sheer edge of the dune where it faces the water. The land curves like a backward capital letter C so it almost reaches the left edge of the painting along the horizon, which comes a quarter of the way up the composition. A cow and three more animals, perhaps sheep or more cows, graze or lie on a grassy mound in the distance, and sailboats line the horizon in the deep distance. White ripples swirl in the steel-blue water. The artist signed and dated the lower center, “J Ruisdael . 1648.”
A work made of oil on canvas.
A work made of oil on canvas.
A work made of oil on panel.
Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, by Jacob van Ruisdael, 1650–55

The works in this room are listed below.

Works in this room

Works made in the Netherlands in the 17th century.

First room, north wall

  1. Peacocks, by Melchior d' Hondecoeter, 1683
    PeacocksMelchior d' Hondecoeter, 1683Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. A work made of opaque and translucent watercolors, with pen and brown ink, over graphite, on cream laid paper.
    Two Old Men beside a Sled Bearing the Coats of Arms of Amsterdam and UtrechtHendric Avercamp, 1620/33Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Water laps at a curving shoreline in front of a steep sandy dune carpeted in grass, shrubs, and trees in this horizontal landscape painting. The dune takes up the lower right quadrant of the composition. A few broken tree trunks are overgrown with vines and plants across the top and down the sloping side of the dune facing us. A red brick wall cuts through the vegetation up the side of the dune and disappears into the shrubbery at the top. The twisting branches and canopies of three large trees reach into the upper right quadrant of the composition. The vegetation stops abruptly along the sheer edge of the dune where it faces the water. The land curves like a backward capital letter C so it almost reaches the left edge of the painting along the horizon, which comes a quarter of the way up the composition. A cow and three more animals, perhaps sheep or more cows, graze or lie on a grassy mound in the distance, and sailboats line the horizon in the deep distance. White ripples swirl in the steel-blue water. The artist signed and dated the lower center, “J Ruisdael . 1648.”
    Dunes by the SeaJacob van Ruisdael, 1648Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

First room, south wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    Portrait of a womanFerdinand Bol, c. 1655Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. A work made of oil on canvas.
    The Dutch Whaling FleetAbraham Storck, c. 1695Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. A work made of oil on panel.
    Still LifePieter Claesz, c. 1625Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Dune Landscape with Oak Tree, by Jacob van Ruisdael, 1650–55
    Dune Landscape with Oak TreeJacob van Ruisdael, 1650–55Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, south wall

  1. Shown from the shoulders up, a man and woman face our left in profile against a shadowy, dark green curtain in this vertical portrait painting. They both look steadily to our left, they and have pale skin and wear black. The man is closer to us so he overlaps the woman, whose profile is shifted to our left. A black cap sits on the man's curly, silver, shoulder-length hair. He has a slight double chin and soft jowls. A thin mustache curves over his upper lip, and a line of hair runs down his chin as a narrow beard. A broad, flat, white collar lies across his shoulders over a velvety black coat. He lifts his left hand, closer to us, in front of his chest with the fingers curled gently inward. The woman also has a double chin and soft jowls. Her thin lips are closed and downturned. Her hair is pulled back under a black covering, and her black garment has a sheen, suggesting satin.
    Portrait of the Artist's Parents, Salomon de Bray and Anna WesterbaenJan de Bray, 1664Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington
  2. A work made of oil on panel.
    Trompe-l'Oeil Still Life with a Flower Garland and a CurtainAdriaen van der Spelt, 1658Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  3. Reclining Female Nude, by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1658
    Reclining Female NudeRembrandt van Rijn, 1658Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Second room, north wall

  1. Sleeping Peasants near Fields (Parable of the Weeds), by Simon de Vlieger, 1650–53
    Sleeping Peasants near Fields (Parable of the Weeds)Simon de Vlieger, 1650–53Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art
  2. Portrait of Tieleman Roosterman, by Frans Hals, 1634
    Portrait of Tieleman RoostermanFrans Hals, 1634Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art

Third room, north wall

  1. A work made of oil on canvas.
    A Vanitas Still Life with a Flag, Candlestick, Musical Instruments, Books, Writing Paraphernalia, Globes, and HourglassEdwaert Collier, 1662Courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago
  2. This is a drawing of two nude figures standing beneath a fruit-bearing tree surrounded by elements of nature. The drawing depicts a scene in a lush outdoor setting, featuring intricately detailed branches and leaves of the large tree as well as an eagle-like bird perched nearby. In the background are additional trees extending into a forested area, and a winding path leading into the distance. The foreground includes various plants and the ground is littered with their leaves. The figures are positioned at the center, engaged in a gesture of pointing towards the fruit in the tree. The scene is rendered in fine details with attention to the texture and flow of the natural elements surrounding the figures.
    Adam and Eve before the Tree of KnowledgeJan Saenredam, 1604Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington

Third room, south wall

  1. Mountain Valley with a Plateau, by Hercules Segers, ca. 1625–30
    Mountain Valley with a PlateauHercules Segers, ca. 1625–30Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
  2. Travelers in Hilly Countryside, by Aelbert Cuyp, c. 1650
    Travelers in Hilly CountrysideAelbert Cuyp, c. 1650Courtesy of the Cleveland Museum of Art