Landscape with a Cottage and a Haybarn

In one of Rembrandt’s most detailed landscapes, a humble cottage and haybarn stand in the center of the landscape. Though Rembrandt probably visited this actual location, he selectively recorded its details. He most likely added the distant town resembling Amsterdam to the left and a manor house to the right to create a scene that is both quaint in its simplicity and endearing in its romantic view of rural life.

Typical of Dutch views, the low horizon in this panoramic composition and the deeply etched lines allow the rustic structures to take on greater importance. Curly loops from the etching needle delineate the mass of tree foliage and the play of light on the treetops. The landscape is enlivened by pastoral activity: children fish before the cottage, a person crosses a bridge, and a dog obediently follows. Look closely and you will also find people peering through the windows of the cottage. What appears at first glance to be a desolate landscape instead reveals itself to be a natural setting teeming with life.