The Great Pool

Jacob van Ruisdael was perhaps the most versatile Dutch landscape painter of the 17th century. He produced several distinct landscape types: mountains, woodlands, rivers, waterfalls, beaches, seascapes and panoramic views. This painting is an early example of a landscape with a water mill, a type Ruisdael popularized. The dense, meticulous rendering of foliage and the naturalistic coloration of the trees and sky are typical of his earlier works. Jacob van Ruisdael is the son of Isaak van Ruisdael (1599-1677) and the nephew of Salomon van Ruysdael (about 1602-1670).