Loading

Knotty Old Tree in the Dunes with a Fence

Claes van Beresteynabout 1650–1670

The J. Paul Getty Museum

The J. Paul Getty Museum
Los Angeles, United States

This drawing depicts a swampy, overgrown dune with gnarled oak tree that dominates the entire sheet. Surrounding the base of the oak is a broken fence and thick bramble that creeps across the immediate foreground. Drawn in dark brown ink with a lightness and dryness of touch that is perfectly fitted to the teeming spikiness of the bramble and the oak's foliage, Knotty Old Tree in the Dunes with a Fence features a claustrophobically dense vegetation. The tree's majestic presence is enhanced by the soaring birds, who are dwarfed by its monumental scale.

Show lessRead more
  • Title: Knotty Old Tree in the Dunes with a Fence
  • Creator: Claes van Beresteyn
  • Date Created: about 1650–1670
  • Physical Dimensions: 14.8 × 12.8 cm (5 13/16 × 5 1/16 in.)
  • External Link: Object Record
  • Medium: Pen and brown ink on paper
  • Object Creditline: The J. Paul Getty Museum. Purchased with funds provided by the Disegno Group
The J. Paul Getty Museum

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites