The depiction of waterfalls became one of Ruisdael's specialities after he moved to Amsterdam around 1656. His mature works are characterised by ambitious compositions. This landscape is actually a figment of the artist's imagination, and was painted in the studio. Ruisdael probably found inspiration in the landscapes he saw on his journey to Bentheim, in Germany.
A. van der Hoop Bequest, 1854. On loan from the City of Amsterdam, 1885.