Fantastic River Landscape with Ironworks

Belgian brothers Lucas and Marten van Valckenborch created numerous landscape paintings depicting industrial processes and building projects. They were part of arguably the most prominent family of Flemish painters of the 16th and 17th centuries, with no fewer that 14 artists in their lineage. In Fantastic River Landscape with Ironworks, brother Martin creates what appears to be a typical Dutch river landscape painting, but in the foreground a flurry of activity brings 17th century iron technology in full view.